home » about-birds » birdfacts » waterfowl » Brent Goose

Brent Goose Branta bernicla   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links

For details point at or click the button; for sources point at the button
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae
BTO Codes: BG, BREGO EURING No: 1680
Number in Britain: 95 thousand birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Vulnerable
Global: Least Concern ( Details )
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Winter Visitor
Subspecies: hrota, bernicla, nigricans recorded in Britain (of 3 subsp. in the world)
.
Length: 58 cm Wingspan: 115 cm Weight: M/F: 1.5 kg    
Scientific name from: ON: brandgas=burnt goose and Med. L. bernicla=the barnacle
World Distribution: BREEDS: Greenland, Spitsbergen, n Russia & n North America, WINTERS: south to n Africa, China & US
Habitat: Tundra, on migration marshes & estuaries
Diet: Eelgrass (Zostera), also vegetation by grazing on land or shallow water
TitBit: Of six individuals fitted with radio-tracking tags in 2002, only one was known to have survived, two others succumbed to Arctic Foxes, and one was tracked to the larder of an Inuit hunter.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: No population trend available
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Local Atlases)   
British Population Size:
    Winter: 95 thousand individuals in 2004-09
    First Record: 1508 [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern, Localised Non-breeding Population, Important Non-breeding Population
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern: hrota AMBER (Rare or Localised), bernicla RED (International Concern)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: 400 to 2 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results: BirdTrack
Wetland Bird Survey Alerts
Waterbird Review Series

Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 75 x 47 mm Egg Weight: 91.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 0
Clutch Size: 3 - 5 eggs
Incubation: 24- 26 days   by the: Female
Fledging: Unavailable as: Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Does not breed in Britain, or too few Nest Records
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: 45 (Annual Totals)
Adult Survival: 0.900 ± 0.036       
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 2 years Typical Lifespan: 11 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 28 years 2 months 12 days (set in 2001)
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

Biometrics
Ring Size: G
Wing Length Adult: 338.2 ± 11.4 Range 318 - 350 mm, N =22
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: 1.25 ± 0.19 Range 0.80 - 1.51 kg , N =34
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
Brant
Gaelic: Gèadh-got Welsh: Gwydd Du
Danish: Knortegås Dutch: Rotgans
Finnish: Sepelhanhi French: Bernache cravant
German: Ringelgans Hungarian: Örvös lúd
Icelandic: Margæs Irish: Cadhan
Italian: Oca colombaccio Norwegian: Ringgås
Polish: Bernikla obrozna Portuguese: Ganso-de-faces-negras
Spanish: Barnacla carinegra Swedish: Prutgås
Local Names:Brant, Quink

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Kear, J 2005 Ducks, geese and swans Oxford University Press [598.48 KEA]
   Cabot, D. 2009 Wildfowl Collins, London
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter