Visual Search | Wizard | Browse
Bird name:
Home| Search| Browser| Expert| Forum| Store| My WhatBird| Help| Site Map

Barnacle Goose

Branta leucopsisOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Codes: Common Name: BARG Scientific Name: BRALEU ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175014
Least Concern
 
Barnacle Goose
Copyright © 2004 - 2008 Whatbird.com






Rate this Illustration: Excellent Very Good Good
Fair Below Avg Poor

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Clingers Only Feeder
Weather resistant inexpensive feeder is ideal for small birds.
Suet Delight
Easy to hang and maintain, holds all kinds of packaged suet.
Ultimate Woodpecker Feeder
Only allows woodpeckers to feed made of Inland Cedar.
The No-No Copper Feeder
Beautiful copper feeder holds 2.5 lbs of sunflower seeds.
Attracting Clingers

Overview

Barnacle Goose: Medium goose, distinctive white face, jet-black head, neck, and upper breast. Wings and back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars. Belly is white. V-shaped white rump patch and silver-gray underwing linings are visible in flight. Black bill,legs and feet. Strong direct flight.

Range and Habitat

Barnacle Goose: Breeds in Greenland and northern Eurasia. Spend winters in northern Europe and British Isles. Probably rare vagrant in northeastern North America, though many records are believed to be of escaped captive birds. Preferred habitats include arctic rivers and marshlands; winters on coastal marshes and grasslands.

Topo Map: Duck-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"kaw"

Interesting Facts

 The English name of the Barnacle Goose, and the scientific name of the Brent Goose (B. bernicla), come from the fable that Barnacle Geese were produced from barnacles.

 It was thought they developed from the Goose Barnacle. The confusion was prompted by the similarities in color and shape, and the fact that they appeared in different seasons.

 It was an important part of medieval cuisine; since it was believed to be produced from barnacles, Catholics classified these geese as fish and therefore could eat their flesh during Lent.

 A group of geese has many collective nouns, including a "blizzard", "chevron", "knot", "plump", and "string" of geese.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

Splitbar
Range Map for Barnacle Goose

.
Family Geese (Anatidae)_blue
Species Branta leucopsis
Length23 - 28 Inches
Wingspan54 Inches

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose: Medium goose, distinctive white face, jet-black head, neck, and upper breast. Wings and back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars. Belly is white. V-shaped white rump patch and silver-gray underwing linings are visible in flight. Black bill,legs and feet. Strong direct flight.

● Song: "kaw"

● Foraging & Feeding: Barnacle Goose: Feeds on grass and coastal plants.

● Breeding & nesting: Barnacle Goose: Four to six gray white to yellow eggs are laid in a depression in sand or rock lined with feathers and down. Nest is often built on inaccessible rock shelf on a cliff or rocky pillar, far from water. Incubation ranges from 24 to 25 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Barnacle Goose: Brant and Canada geese have dark underwings, foreheads, and faces, and lack white sides.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with steady wing beats. Flies in V formation.
Barnacle Goose Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Barnacle Goose: Breeds in Greenland and northern Eurasia. Spend winters in northern Europe and British Isles. Probably rare vagrant in northeastern North America, though many records are believed to be of escaped captive birds. Preferred habitats include arctic rivers and marshlands; winters on coastal marshes and grasslands.
BreedingMonogamous, Scattered colonies
PopulationCasual to accidental
MigrationMigratory
Weight62.4 Ounces
Duck-like BodyX
BellyX
The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
RumpX
The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Read more...
ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

Read more...
Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX