Red-breasted Goose
Branta ruficollis
Small and stocky rare goose with a small bill. From a distance, appears dark and dull, and often blends into flocks of other geese. When seen well, note the rich rusty breast and striking rusty and black-and-white head pattern. Mantle is dark and finely barred. White flank stripe is prominent on land and in flight. Also note the all dark underwings in flight. Breeds on the high arctic tundra, on islands, and coastal habitats. Winters mainly by the Black Sea.
Identification
All the species of the genus Branta are distinguished by their dark sooty colour, relieved by white, and as a distinction from the grey geese of the genus Anser. Among the species from these two genera, the red-breasted goose is the smallest at 53–56 cm (21–22 in) in length. This brightly marked species is unmistakable, but can be surprisingly difficult to find amongst brant geese. At long distances, the red of the breast tends to look dark.
Taxonomy
The red-breasted goose is sometimes placed in its own genus Rufibrenta but appears close enough to the brant goose (Branta bernicla) to make this unnecessary, despite its distinct appearance. Today all major authorities include the red-breasted goose in Branta. Genetic studies indicate that the red-breasted goose may be one the few known examples of hybrid speciation in birds, being the result of ancient interbreeding between the ancestral brant goose and white-cheeked goose (the latter being the ancestral species that later split into all today's Branta species, except the brant and red-breasted geese). This interbreeding appears to have happened at least 3.5 million years ago, with the lineage of the red-breasted goose following its own evolutionary path since then.<p>Branta is a Latinised form of Old Norse Brandgás, "burnt (black) goose and ruficollis is from the Latin rufus "red" and collis "necked".
- Scientific name
- Branta ruficollis
- Authority
- (Pallas, 1769)
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Branta
Range and habitat
The red-breasted goose breeds in Arctic Siberia, mainly on the Taymyr Peninsula, with smaller populations in the Gyda and Yamal peninsulas. Most winter along the northwestern shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine (occasionally moving further southwest to Greece), but some winter in Azerbaijan. It is a rare vagrant to Ireland and other western European areas, 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.<p>A large part of the population traditionally wintered in Kirov Bay in the Caspian Sea, but in the 1960s the area became unsuitable for the geese due to the agricultural change. Vineyards and cotton replaced the cereal crops used by the wintering geese. However, catastrophic population decline was avoided because they were able to alter their migration strategy and now winter in suitable habitats in Bulgaria and the Dobrogea region of Eastern Romania.<p>Late Pleistocene remains of the species have been found in Bulgaria, and it is featured on ancient Egyptian paintings, including the famous Meidum Geese.
- Breeding range
- PAL : low Arctic tundra of Yamal, Gydan and Taymyr pens. (nw Siberia)
- Non-breeding range
- to w, s Black Sea and s Caspian Sea; prone to vagrancy elsewhere in Eurasia
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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