Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsis
Handsome and distinctive. A rather compact and fairly small goose with big white face patch, silvery upperparts, and black neck and breast sharply demarcated from white belly. Breeds mainly in Greenland, Iceland, and Spitsbergen, and locally around the Baltic Sea. Winters in farmland and grassy wetlands mainly in coastal lowlands throughout northern Europe. Free flying feral birds resident locally at lakes and parks in the U.K. In main wintering areas, occurs in hundreds or even thousands; elsewhere, singles and family groups can be found among flocks of other geese. Rare but increasing visitor to northeastern North America, almost always with flocks of Canada Geese.
识别特征
The barnacle goose is a medium-sized goose, 55–70 cm (22–28 in) long, with a wingspan of 130–145 cm (51–57 in) and a body mass of 1.21–2.23 kg (2.7–4.9 lb). It has a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars that look like they are shining when the light reflects on it. During flight, a V-shaped white rump patch and the silver-gray underwing linings are visible. They look similar to Canada Geese but are smaller, have white instead of brown bodies and have smaller beaks.
分类信息
The barnacle goose was first classified taxonomically by Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1803. Branta is a Latinised form of Old Norse Brandgás, "burnt (black) goose" and the specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek leukos "white", and opsis "faced".<p>The barnacle goose and the similar brant goose were previously considered one species, and were formerly believed to spawn from the goose barnacle. This gave rise to the English name of the barnacle goose and the scientific name of the brant. It is sometimes claimed that the word comes from a Celtic word for "limpet", but the sense-history seems to go in the opposite direction. <p>The barnacle myth can be dated back to at least the 12th century. Gerald of Wales claimed to have seen these birds hanging down from pieces of timber, William Turner accepted the theory, and John Gerard claimed to have seen the birds emerging from their shells. The legend persisted until the end of the 18th century. In County Kerry, until relatively recently, Catholics abstaining from meat during Lent could still eat this bird because it was considered as fish.
- 学名
- Branta leucopsis
- 命名信息
- (Bechstein, 1803)
- 目
- Anseriformes
- 科
- Anatidae
- 属
- Branta
分布与栖息地
Breeding range: PAL : high Arctic e Greenland, Svalbard (n of Norway), Novaya Zemlya and nearby Kolguyev and Vaygach is. (nw Russia). Non-breeding range: to coastal n British Is., s Scandinavia, and nw Europe.
- 繁殖区
- PAL : high Arctic e Greenland, Svalbard (n of Norway), Novaya Zemlya and nearby Kolguyev and Vaygach is. (nw Russia)
- 非繁殖区
- to coastal n British Is., s Scandinavia, and nw Europe
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
保护状况
Population trend: rising.
- 种群趋势
- rising
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
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Bathmocercus rufus
Unusual and handsome forest-dwelling warbler. Males are mostly rufous, and females olive-gray, but both show a black face mask that continues down the center of the underparts. Skulks in the thick undergrowth of humid forest. The male sings a long series of high, penetrating whistles which can sound like a truck backing up. He is sometimes accompanied by low “trr” calls from the female.
White-cheeked Cotinga
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Vitelline Masked-Weaver
Ploceus vitellinus
A fairly small weaver with a chunky bill. Always shows a red eye and a dark bill. Breeding male is distinctive, with bright yellow overall plumage, a black mask, and a variable chestnut wash on the breast and crown. Females, non-breeding males, and juveniles are much duller, but show streaking on the back and pale underparts. Found in a variety of savanna habitats, often in flocks. Breeding male is similar to several other weavers, but can be separated by the chestnut rather than black crown and the red eye. Plumages other than the breeding male’s can be hard to separate from other weavers, but can be cautiously identified by the reddish eye and overall size and shape. Vocalizations are typical of weavers: “chek” notes and a sizzling “radio static” song.
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