You gannet

"You gannet!" is sometimes heard in our household, as some person swoops in and finishes off the last of the chocolate cake.....and this expression comes from this bird, the gannet's capacity for eating large quantities of fish which has led to a description of somebody with puts a lot of food away....or finishes off food on other's plates.

(note this bird does not occur in Hong Kong, and these pictures were taken last month from a boat in northern France).

They live in huge colonies.....like this one. Almost 2/3 of the world population live in Scotland.

fascinating facts:

Gannets can dive from a great height into the sea, hitting the water at speeds of around 100 km/h.

They have adapted/evolved to do this, and their nostrils are located inside the mouth (I mean who wants water up your nose at that speed!).

The famous prison island Alcatraz is named after the Spanish word for gannets which is "alcatraz". Founded by the Spanish Explorer Juan de Ayala, he named it after the many gannets he found on the island.