Red-breasted Goose

Branta ruficollis (Pallas, 1769) EB REBGO 1690
Family: Anseriformes > Anatidae

Red-breasted Goose, Chris Knights

A rare, but more or less annual, visitor to Britain in winter, numbers of this Arctic breeding goose on its usual wintering grounds in SE Europe, though variable, are thought to be declining

Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Red-breasted Goose

  • Breeding
  • Winter

Identification

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Status and Trends

Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.

CONSERVATION STATUS

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

POPULATION SIZE

We have no population estimates for this scarce species.

DISTRIBUTION

Although a small number of vagrant Red-breasted Geese from the declining arctic Siberian breeding population winter in Britain each year, the species is popular in wildfowl collections and many birds are of captive origin. Vagrants are typically found in flocks of Brent Geese or Barnacle Geese so the winter distribution map mimics the stopover and wintering areas of those species.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

DISTRIBUTION CHANGE

SEASONALITY

Red-breasted Geese are rare winter visitors most often associating with winter goose flocks, but the picture is clouded by escaped birds and a localised feral breeding population.

Weekly occurence of Red-breasted Goose from BirdTrack
Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells) and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.

Movement

Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

RINGING RECOVERIES

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information about Red-breasted Goose, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING

Sample sizes are too small to report Productivity and Nesting statistics for this species.

BIOMETRICS

Sample sizes are too small to report Biometrics for this species.

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

CODES & CLASSIFICATION

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Welsh: Gwydd Frongoch
Catalan: oca de coll roig
Czech: berneška rudokrká
Danish: Rødhalset Gås
Dutch: Roodhalsgans
Estonian: punakael-lagle
Finnish: punakaulahanhi
French: Bernache à cou roux
German: Rothalsgans
Hungarian: vörösnyakú lúd
Icelandic: Fagurgæs
Italian: Oca collorosso
Latvian: sarkankakla zoss
Lithuanian: rudakakle bernikle
Norwegian: Rødhalsgås
Polish: bernikla rdzawoszyja
Portuguese: ganso-de-peito-ruivo
Slovak: bernikla cervenokrká
Slovenian: rdecevrata gos
Spanish: Barnacla cuelliroja
Swedish: rödhalsad gås

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