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  • Barnacle goose

Barnacle goose

Barnacle goose
Barnacle goose
Barnacle goose (juvenile)
Barnacle goose (juvenile)
  • Scientific name: Branta leucopsis
  • Bird family: Ducks, geese and swans
  • UK conservation status: Amber
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Audio

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Willem-Pier Vellinga, Xeno-canto

Key information

The barnacle goose is a medium-sized, sociable goose, with black head, neck and breast with creamy-white face. This contrasts with the white belly, blue-grey barred back and black tail. It flies in packs and long lines, with a noisy chorus of barking or yapping sounds.

What they eat:

Vegetation, the leaves and stems of grasses, roots and seeds.

Measurements:

Length:
58-70 cm
Wingspan:
132-145 cm
Weight:
1.3 to 2.2 kg

Population:

UK breeding:
900 pairs
UK wintering:
58,000 from the Greenland breeding population, 33,000 from Svalbard in northern Russia and 3,000 from the feral UK populations
Europe:
>390,000

Identifying features:

Barnacle goose

Barnacle goose adult
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Grey White
Beak: Black Medium length Duck-like Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Grassland Marine and intertidal Wetland

Where and when to see them

The largest numbers of barnacle geese reside in the Solway Firth (England and Scotland) and on Islay, Scotland.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Barnacle goose distribution map

Most barnacle geese are here between October and March, although some stay into mid-April on their wintering grounds. The resident feral breeding population is now well into four figures, so in some areas you can see them all year round.

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RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Loch Gruinart
  • RSPB Mersehead
  • RSPB Campfield Marsh
  • RSPB Balranald
  • RSPB Coll

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