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Bird name:

Barnacle Goose

Branta leucopsis

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

BARG

Code 6

BRALEU

ITIS

175014

Breeding Location:

Rivers, Marshes

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Scattered colonies

Breeding Population:

Casual to accidental

Egg Color:

Gray white to yellow

Number of Eggs:

4 - 6

Incubation Days:

24 - 25

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with feathers.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Barnacle Goose: Medium-sized goose with distinctive white face and 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. Sexes are similar.

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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and Feeding

Barnacle Goose: Feeds on grass and coastal plants.

Vocalization

Barnacle Goose: Song is a high piercing yelp. Call is a "kaw"; hisses when disturbed.

Similar Species

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

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Belly

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.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America