[056] Branta leucopsis, Barnacle Goose

[056] Branta leucopsis, Barnacle Goose

Introduction

Branta leucopsis, the Barnacle Goose, is a Black Goose which breeds in the far North and winters in sites in Scotland and elsewhere.

There is also a feral population in Norfolk and another small feral population resident in and around the Slimbridge wetlands and Frampton-on-Severn.

We saw [055] the Canada Goose yesterday. This post will also consider the Nene (Hawaiian Goose) and other Branta species.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Aves (Birds)

Order – Anseriformes (Waterfowl

Family – Anatidae

Subfamily – Anserinae (Geese and Swans)

Genus – Branta

Scientific Name – Branta leucopsis

Name

We can blame Gerald of Wales (Circa 1146-1223) an Archdeacon of Brecon for the myth that led to the name of this bird. Like many birds, we only saw these geese in winter and nobody knew where they came from. Gerald claimed to have seen them emerging from barnacle shells and so it was thought that the two were two forms of the same animal. The barnacle is now called the Goose Barnacle.

Until about two hundred years ago, in some places Roman Catholics who abstained from meat during Lent could still eat the Barnacle Goose as it was considered to be a fish.

Another goose, Branta bernicla, known to us now as the Brent Goose was at the time considered to be the same species, and that was the one that kept the name ‘bernicla’ meaning barnacle.

Leucopsis, from Greek roots means white-face.

Barnacle Goose

The Barnacle Goose is significantly smaller than the Canada Goose. It has a black neck and back, and a white face and breast. Both areas of white are larger than the Canada Goose. The back is noticeably barred with white.

Goslings are less marked, mostly grey.

Habitat

Three separate wild populations breed in Eastern Greenland, Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya. The Greenland population winters in Western Ireland and the Hebrides. The other two go to the Solway Firth and the Netherlands respectively.

The local feral populations are not migratory.

Other Notes

They can be seen at Frampton where they will share their grass with sheep.

Nene

Branta sandvicensis is the Nene, also known as the Hawaiian Goose. The word Nene, the name of this bird in Hawaiian, comes from the sound of its call. Hawaii used to be known as the Sandwich Islands.

Like many species on isolated islands, this species diverged from the rest of the World just after the islands of Hawaii were formed, about half a million years ago.

Its body is barred in shades of grey, separated from the neck by a dark band. The neck becomes a buff colour at the face, and the face and the top and back of the head are black. Both sexes look similar.

In its natural habitats in Hawaii this goose inhabits shrubland, grassland and volcanic lava plains. So, its webbed feet have adapted,

I see these birds at Slimbridge where they may now be more common than in Hawaii. They breed successfully there and some have been released back to repopulate their native locations.

See also

Others species in the Branta genus.

• Canada Goose, Branta canadensis – see [055]
• Brent Goose, Branta bernicla. Visually similar to the Barnacle Goose but not so closely related. Seen in coastal locations of Britain, especially in Winter.
• Red-breasted Goose, Branta ruficollis. The smallest Branta. It does have red breast. Summer in Siberia and Winter on the Black Sea.
• Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii. Very similar to the Canada Goose but smaller. Only seen in North America and the tip of Siberia,

[055] Branta canadensis, Canada Goose

[055] Branta canadensis, Canada Goose

Introduction

Branta canadensis, the Canada Goose, is a widespread and common ‘black’ goose in the UK but is not technically a native species.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Aves (birds)

Order – Anseriformes (Waterfowl)

Family – Anatidae (Ducks, Geese and Swans)

Subfamily – Anserinae (Geese and Swans)

Genus – Branta

Scientific Name – Branta canadensis

Name

Branta is Latinized from the Old Norse Brandgas meaning burnt-goose i.e. black goose.

Description

The back is a barred light grey-brown and the breast is white. Male and female birds are identical.

The head and neck are all black apart from a white cheek patch.

Branta geese are distinguished from other geese by their black legs and feet.

They are gregarious and mainly herbivores. They feed on grass, beans and grains and sometimes aquatic plants just below the surface of the water.

The young goslings start as yellow-brown chicks similar to most waterfowl. They can walk, swim and feed themselves immediately. They follow the parents and gradually grow to look like them.

Habitat and use

The Canada Goose is widespread and common in North America, where it is migratory. Hence its name.

It has been introduced in Europe from several sources, starting in the Seventeenth Century with the collection of King James II in St James’s Park in London.

They are widely hunted in the USA but are not otherwise normally eaten.

When flying in flocks they can be a hazard to aircraft.

Other Notes

They are frequently seen in wetland environments. Canada Geese do sometimes visit ornamental gardens and parks but this is usually a single pair and they may not stay for long.

See also

Tomorrow we will look at [056] the Barnacle Goose and other Branta species.

[026] Anser anser, Greylag

[026] Anser anser, Greylag

Introduction

Anser anser, the Greylag, is the common goose seen all over the UK, widespread and common over Eurasia and North Africa. Many British ones are semi-tame and can be seen on ornamental lakes. Wikipedia calls it a Greylag Goose but it’s generally known as just a Greylag.

In normal, informal English just as the word ‘duck’ is synonymous with ‘Mallard,’ the word ‘goose’ generally means ‘Greylag.’

I will look briefly at other Anser species

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Aves (birds)

Order – Anseriformes

Family – Anatidae (Ducks, Geese and Swans)

Subfamily – Anserinae (Geese and Swans)

Genus – Anser (Grey Geese)

Scientific Name – Anser anser

The family of Anatidae are closely related in some ways and it is possible for Anser geese to hybridise with Branta (Black Geese) species or even with swans. When originally classified, all ducks, geese and swans were Anas but that didn’t last for long.

Name

‘Lag’ is an old name for a domestic goose derived from the call used in herding them, hence grey-lag. It won’t surprise you by now that anser is the Latin for goose.

Geese

Statistically, January has been a bit unusual with more than the expected numbers of trees, insects and birds all bunching up at the beginning of the alphabet. It has given us the chance to look at the taxonomy of Anatidae and all of the ducks. So, all that is left is the very small subfamily Anserinae, containing all geese and swans.

If we leave out the white geese, (which we won’t see in Britain) there are just three genera, each with just a few fairly similar species.

• Cygnus (Swans) coming a bit further down the alphabet,
• Branta (Black geese) coming at the end of February,
• Anser (Grey geese)

I will look mainly at Anser anser, which is the type species. It defines the genus.

Description

We all know what geese look like. They are larger than ducks and smaller than swans. They have a long neck, longer than ducks and shorter than swans.

Their plumage is mainly a dull grey-brown, darker on the head, mottled and barred on the back and paler underneath the body. As for all geese and swans, male and females are very similar with the males being slightly larger.

It has an orange or pink bill with a white tip. Adult birds have a very distinctive look to their neck feathers,

The large webbed feet are pink.

Habitat

Although geese live near water they feed mainly on grass. This not an efficient way to eat and so they consume large quantities of food. In general, they migrate further North in Summer where the longer days give them more time to eat.

The Greylag is now widespread and very common in Britain, derived mostly from feral populations. In the South of England and in urban regions many of them are resident all year. They have learned to eat many crops such as wheat, peas and potatoes.

As for all waterfowl, the young birds follow their parents and are able to feed themselves almost immediately. They are gregarious and the goslings stay with the parents. At first, they look very similar to most ducklings and goslings with black feet. They gradually become like their parents.

Mythology

Geese have been revered and associated with gods such as the Egyptian sun god Ra and the Roman goddess of love Aphrodite.

Domesticated Geese

Geese were domesticated at least 3 000 years ago from the species Anser anser and are now known as a subspecies Anser anser domesticus. In Britain at least domestic geese are usually all white and significantly larger than wild Greylag. The one below looks like an escaped domestic goose.

In the Eighteenth Century, geese were traditionally eaten at Michaelmas and driven in large flocks from the East of England to London. The tradition of pulling a wishbone for luck comes from the belief that geese had the powers of an oracle. When I was young, we did it with chickens and turkeys but I suspect that is a dying tradition.

Use

Apart from their use as a food source, goose feathers have been used as quills and for arrows.

I have also seen them at agricultural shows being used instead of sheep for demonstrations of sheepdog skills!

Other Notes

They are often seen on ornamental lakes but may not be so tame as my pictures may suggest. Some of my pictures of very young birds come from Slimbridge.

I want to include the following picture as an illustration of how well birds can cope with only one leg.

I saw this bird for several years in the Forest of Dean and it seemed to cope very well. I have also seen half a dozen other one-legged birds of different species including a Rook, a Pied Wagtail and a gull. As long as they can fly and hop around, they seem to be OK.

See also

All eleven species of Anser are quite similar in appearance. Most are not normally seen in Britain.

• Anser brachyrhynchus, the Pink-footed Goose. The Latinized Greek brachyrhynchos (‘short-bill’) is a better guide to identification than its pink feet. The bill is black with some bright pink. They are Winter visitors to localized areas of Britain – Norfolk, the North of England and Scotland.
• Anser albifrons, the Greater White-fronted Goose. Usually identified by the small white area to the base of the bill. ‘Albi-frons’ means ‘white-front.’ Note that some Greylag have this marking, possibly associated with domestic geese. They spend their Summers in the far North. A very small population winter in and around the Slimbridge WWT site, but they tend to keep well away from the hides. In Britain they are usually called just White-fronted geese.
• Anser fabalis and Anser serrirostris, the Bean Goose, is a rare visitor. (Internationally and in the USA, these are recognized as two species but in the UK, the British Ornithologist’s Union considers them to be one species.)
• Amser erythropus, the Lesser White-fronted Goose; Anser caerulescens, the Snow Goose and Anser rossii, Ross’s Goose are very occasionally seen as strays from their usual range.
• I have seen Anser indicus, Bar-headed Goose and Anser canagicus, Emperor as isolated birds that have escaped from collections.

[018] Alopochen aegyptica, Egyptian Goose

[018] Alopochen aegyptica, Egyptian Goose

Introduction

Alopochen aegyptica, the Egyptian Goose is a waterfowl but it’s not a goose! It is a shelduck, intermediate between ducks and geese.

It is a colourful bird, native to Africa that is now an established British resident bird, probably mostly from escaped birds in ornamental collections.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Birds

Order – Anseriformes (Ducks, geese and swans)

Family – Anatidae (Ducks, geese and swans)

Subfamily – Tadordinae (Shelducks and Sheldgeese)

Genus – Alopochen

Scientific Name – Alopochen aegyptica

Name

You can understand why it is called an Egyptian Goose.

If you think the division between ducks and geese is just about size, wait for [061] the Muscovy Duck, which is bigger.

Alopochen comes from Greek roots as ‘fox-goose,’ from the ruddy colour of its back.

Ducks, Geese and Swans

There is no easy way to distinguish between what we call ducks, geese and swans. As a first approximation (with some odd exceptions and not worrying about extinct species) you can divide the family Anatidae into these subfamilies.

• Swans and Geese
• Shelducks and Sheldgeese.
• Diving Ducks
• Dabbling Ducks
• Sea Ducks

There are a significant number of species whose precise subfamily is unresolved or disputed.

Alopochen is in the Shelducks and Sheldgeese subfamily, which includes some birds called Shelducks, some called Sheldgeese, some called Ducks and the Egyptian Goose. I won’t go into detailed distinctions but this group is intermediate between geese and dabbling ducks.

You can understand the confusion when you look at the genus Alopochen, which has another three or four species, all extinct. One of them is called a shelduck, one is called a sheldgoose, and one has two names – a sheldgoose or a goose!

Description

Whatever it is called, the Egyptian Goose is a colourful bird. Unlike our fairly colourful ducks both the male and female have identical plumage. There are various shades of brown and grey.

A large part of the wings is actually white but this is not normally visible except when alarmed or aggressive or in flight.

Habitat

The native range of Alopochen aegyptica is the Nile valley and the whole of sub-saharan Africa. (The three extinct species in the genus came from the African islands of Madagascar, Mauritius and Reunion.)

There have been Egyptian Geese in Britain since the Eighteenth Century but the species was not added to the official British List until 1971. (The British Ornithological Union is well-known for its reluctance to accept bird populations from escaped or feral birds!)

They are found throughout Britain but mostly in East Anglia. I have played golf on a course in Norfolk where my first shot would aim to clear a small lake inhabited by breeding Egyptian Geese. (Don’t worry. My golf wasn’t that good but no Egyptian Geese were harmed in the process.)

It has recently been declared a non-native species with gives it a less protected status in the UK than most birds.

They are fairly herbivorous, eating seeds, leaves and grass, sometimes small invertebrates. Only very young goslings are aquatic, feeding on aquatic plankton.

They nest in many locations, often using holes in trees.

Other Notes

I suspect that those I see are a mixture of wild and domesticated. Ornamental lakes with ducks, coots and moorhens obviously make attractive locations for an escaped or wild bird, especially when regularly visited by food bearing human visitors.

See also

Their closest relatives are [336] Shelducks but they have much in common with [061] the Muscovy Duck.

If you wait until December you can find out why shelducks are called shelducks.

… OK, I will tell you now. ‘Sheld’ is a dialect word for variegated or spotted. They do tend to be colourful like the Egyptian Goose.