Red-breasted Goose
The Red-breasted Goose is a brightly marked species of goose in the genus Branta. It is an unmistakable red, black and white goose with a chestnut-red foreneck, breast and sides of the head. It has a broad white flank stripe and black belly, white rear belly and black tail. The juveniles are generally duller than the adults. The short neck and dark belly stand out in flight.
All the species of the Branta genus are distinguished by their dark sooty colour relieved by white and are distinct from the grey geese of the genus Anser. Among the species from these 2 genera, the Red-breasted Goose is the smallest at 21 to 22 inches in length. Although brightly marked and unmistakable, it can be surprisingly difficult to find amongst flocks of Brent Geese.
The Red-breasted Goose breeds in Arctic Siberia, mainly on the Taymyr Peninsula and with smaller populations in the Gydan and Yamal peninsulas. Most winter along the north west shore of the Black Sea in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine (occasionally moving further south west to Greece) but some winter in Azerbaijan.
The Red-breasted Goose is a rare vagrant to the UK and other western European countries where it is sometimes found with flocks of Brent or Barnacle Geese. However, since it is common in captive wildfowl collections, escapees outside its usual range are fairly frequent.
The Red-breasted Goose often nests close to the nests of birds of prey, such as the Snowy Owl, Peregrine and Rough-legged Buzzard, and this helps to protect this small goose from mammalian predators such as the Arctic Fox. The closer the nest to the eyrie bird of prey nest, the safer it is from predation. In addition to nesting close to birds of prey, the Red-breasted Goose nests on islands on rivers which also protects it from land-based predators. A typical Red-breasted Goose colony is around 4 pairs depending on nest location, food abundance and bird of prey density.
In the autumn of 1997 the population of the Red-breasted Goose was estimated to be around 88,000 individuals but in the winter these numbers can shrink to around 70,000. The Red-breasted Goose is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. It is legally protected in many states although hunting still continues. The AEWA is monitoring the species and providing up to date information on the status of the species, its habitat, migrations, ecology and conservation needs.
Over 80% of the Red-breasted Goose population roost during the winter at just 5 sites with nearby feeding areas threatened by changes in land use. In addition, there has been a strong decline in numbers in the last few decades. However, it is possible that this decline may have been exaggerated as it is possible that some birds may winter at unknown sites.
As it is not clear to what extent the known population fluctuates and given the worsening outlook as a whole, the Red-breasted Goose was uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Endangered status in the 2007 IUCN Red List. In 2015 it was relisted as Vulnerable.
There have been attempts to conserve the species. In 2005 to 2008 an EU LIFE project in Romania was implemented so that the habitat quality of an important salt water lake used by the species was increased. The EU LIFE Programme and AEWA hosted a workshop in February 2009 for the species that aimed to draft a new International Species Action Plan and report the results of the EU LIFE project. In 2011 the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB/BirdLife in Bulgaria) and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in the UK launched a project that will lead to a greater understanding of the Red-breasted Goose's migration patterns. A number of geese were branded and given miniature GPS transmitters to enable satellite tracking.
Scientist and conservationists hope that learning about the Red-breasted Goose's migration patterns will lead to proper conservation policies.
This bird was part of the captive collection at the WWT Wetland Centre.
Date: 5th January 2017
Location: WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes, Greater London
All the species of the Branta genus are distinguished by their dark sooty colour relieved by white and are distinct from the grey geese of the genus Anser. Among the species from these 2 genera, the Red-breasted Goose is the smallest at 21 to 22 inches in length. Although brightly marked and unmistakable, it can be surprisingly difficult to find amongst flocks of Brent Geese.
The Red-breasted Goose breeds in Arctic Siberia, mainly on the Taymyr Peninsula and with smaller populations in the Gydan and Yamal peninsulas. Most winter along the north west shore of the Black Sea in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine (occasionally moving further south west to Greece) but some winter in Azerbaijan.
The Red-breasted Goose is a rare vagrant to the UK and other western European countries where it is sometimes found with flocks of Brent or Barnacle Geese. However, since it is common in captive wildfowl collections, escapees outside its usual range are fairly frequent.
The Red-breasted Goose often nests close to the nests of birds of prey, such as the Snowy Owl, Peregrine and Rough-legged Buzzard, and this helps to protect this small goose from mammalian predators such as the Arctic Fox. The closer the nest to the eyrie bird of prey nest, the safer it is from predation. In addition to nesting close to birds of prey, the Red-breasted Goose nests on islands on rivers which also protects it from land-based predators. A typical Red-breasted Goose colony is around 4 pairs depending on nest location, food abundance and bird of prey density.
In the autumn of 1997 the population of the Red-breasted Goose was estimated to be around 88,000 individuals but in the winter these numbers can shrink to around 70,000. The Red-breasted Goose is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. It is legally protected in many states although hunting still continues. The AEWA is monitoring the species and providing up to date information on the status of the species, its habitat, migrations, ecology and conservation needs.
Over 80% of the Red-breasted Goose population roost during the winter at just 5 sites with nearby feeding areas threatened by changes in land use. In addition, there has been a strong decline in numbers in the last few decades. However, it is possible that this decline may have been exaggerated as it is possible that some birds may winter at unknown sites.
As it is not clear to what extent the known population fluctuates and given the worsening outlook as a whole, the Red-breasted Goose was uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Endangered status in the 2007 IUCN Red List. In 2015 it was relisted as Vulnerable.
There have been attempts to conserve the species. In 2005 to 2008 an EU LIFE project in Romania was implemented so that the habitat quality of an important salt water lake used by the species was increased. The EU LIFE Programme and AEWA hosted a workshop in February 2009 for the species that aimed to draft a new International Species Action Plan and report the results of the EU LIFE project. In 2011 the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB/BirdLife in Bulgaria) and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in the UK launched a project that will lead to a greater understanding of the Red-breasted Goose's migration patterns. A number of geese were branded and given miniature GPS transmitters to enable satellite tracking.
Scientist and conservationists hope that learning about the Red-breasted Goose's migration patterns will lead to proper conservation policies.
This bird was part of the captive collection at the WWT Wetland Centre.
Date: 5th January 2017
Location: WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes, Greater London
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Also in: Black geese
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