Barnacle Goose

Branta leucopsisOrder: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

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.

● 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


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Field Guide to Birds of North America

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose

Flight Pattern