Latin name
Branta bernicla
Family
Swans, ducks and geese (Anatidae)
Where to see them
Estuaries and saltmarshes. Main concentrations of dark-bellied birds in the Wash, the North Norfolk coastal marshes, Essex estuaries, the Thames Estuary and Chichester and Langstone Harbours. Most light-bellied birds are found at Strangford Lough and Lough Foyle, N Ireland and at Lindisfarne, Northumberland.
When to see them
Birds arrive in October and depart again in March.
What they eat
Vegetation, especially eel-grass.
Population
| Europe | UK breeding* | UK wintering* | UK passage* | | - | - | 91,000 'dark-bellied' birds, 27,000 'light-bellied' from the Canadian breeding population and 3,400 'light-bellied' from the Svalbard population | - |