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Brent Goose Branta bernicla [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Anseriformes
Family:
Anatidae
BTO Codes:
BG , BREGO
EURING No:
1680
Number in Britain:
101 thousand birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
3 Concern, most not in Europe; Vulnerable
Global:
Least Concern
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IBC
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:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Winter:
101 thousand individuals
in 1994-99
First Record:
1508
[Fossil evidence from
Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
400 to 2 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
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
Adult Survival:
0.9
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
11
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
28yr2m
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]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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