Field Guide
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Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchus
Not yet photographed by the community
Winter visitor; pink legs, dark bill with pink band.
Species Profile
Green List (UK); Least Concern (IUCN). Population stable and locally increasing.
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 60–76 cm, wingspan 130–160 cm; 1.5–2.5 kg
- Habitat
- Arctic tundra breeding grounds; winters on coastal marshes, estuaries, and agricultural grasslands in temperate regions.
- UK Distribution
- Winter visitor to the UK, arriving September–October and departing April–May. Most abundant in Scotland, particularly the Solway Firth, northeast England, and parts of eastern England.
- Diet
- Herbivorous, feeding on grasses, clover, sedges, and agricultural crops including grain and root vegetables.
- Predators
- Arctic foxes, wolves, and golden eagles on breeding grounds; in the UK, mainly eggs and chicks vulnerable to corvids and large gulls.
- Mating Season
- May to July
- Breeding
- Clutch size 3–5 eggs; incubation period 24–26 days; single brood per year. Young fledge at 7–8 weeks.
- Behaviour
- Highly gregarious and vocal, forming large flocks in winter that can number thousands. Males are territorial during breeding and remain paired for life. Known for their distinctive laughing calls.
- •Pink-footed geese are named for their characteristic pink feet and legs, visible in flight and when on water.
- •The entire Icelandic and Greenlandic breeding population winters in the UK and Ireland, making Britain crucial for their survival.
- •They navigate between Arctic breeding grounds and wintering sites using the same routes and roosting locations year after year.
- •Pink-footed geese can fly at altitudes exceeding 8,000 metres, allowing them to cross mountain ranges during migration.
- •UK populations have increased dramatically since the 1950s due to legal protection and reduced hunting pressure.
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