Field Guide
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Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsis
Not yet photographed by the community
White face, black breast; spectacular winter flocks.
Species Profile
Green List (UK)
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 58–66 cm; wingspan 110–130 cm; 1.3–2.0 kg
- Habitat
- Arctic tundra for breeding; winters on coastal grasslands, salt marshes, and estuarine areas.
- UK Distribution
- Winter visitor to the UK, primarily arriving from September to April. Found mainly in northern and western coastal regions, particularly Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northwest England.
- Diet
- Herbivorous, feeding on grasses, clover, and other vegetation; occasionally eats seaweed and coastal plants.
- Predators
- Arctic foxes, wolves, and golden eagles on breeding grounds; foxes and occasional raptor predation in the UK.
- Mating Season
- April to June
- Breeding
- Clutch size 4–6 eggs; incubation period 24–25 days; single brood per year; chicks fledge at 6–7 weeks.
- Behaviour
- Highly social, gathering in large flocks during winter migration and staying in family groups year-round. Known for their distinctive loud, barking call and synchronized flying formations. Monogamous with strong pair bonds lasting multiple years.
- •The name 'barnacle' derives from a medieval legend that these geese hatched from barnacles on driftwood rather than eggs
- •They undertake one of the longest migrations of any goose species, travelling from Svalbard and Russian Arctic to UK wintering grounds
- •Barnacle geese have increased dramatically in UK numbers since the 1970s due to conservation efforts and hunting protection
- •Their Arctic breeding colonies are vulnerable to climate change, affecting breeding success and migration timing
- •Young geese remain with their parents throughout the first winter and return to breeding grounds with them
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