![Greater white-fronted goose (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Greater_white-fronted_goose_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The greater white-fronted goose (''Anser albifrons'') is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
goose
A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...
related to the smaller
lesser white-fronted goose
The lesser white-fronted goose (''Anser erythropus'') is a goose closely related to the larger white-fronted goose (''A. albifrons''). It breeds in the northernmost Palearctic, but it is a scarce breeder in Europe. There is a re-introduction sc ...
(''A. erythropus''). It is named for the patch of white feathers bordering the base of its bill, in fact ''albifrons ''comes from the Latin ''albus'' "white" and ''frons "''forehead".
In Europe it has been known as the white-fronted goose; in North America it is known as the greater white-fronted goose (or "greater whitefront"), and this name is also increasingly adopted internationally.
Even more distinctive are the salt-and-pepper markings on the breast of adult birds, which is why the goose is colloquially called the "specklebelly" in North America.
Description
Greater white-fronted geese are in length, have a wingspan, and weigh .
[ They have bright orange legs and mouse-coloured upper wing-coverts. They are smaller than ]greylag geese
The greylag goose or graylag goose (''Anser anser'') is a species of large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus ''Anser (bird), Anser''. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage and an orange beak and ...
. As well as being larger than the lesser white-fronted goose, the greater white-fronted goose lacks the yellow eye-ring of that species, and the white facial blaze does not extend upwards so far as in the lesser.[
The male is typical larger in size, both sexes are similar in appearance—greyish brown birds with light grey breasts dappled with dark brown to black blotches and bars. Both males and females also have a pinkish bill and orange legs and feet.][
Greater white-fronted geese make a variation of sounds, but notably the most recognizable is the high pitched cackle that can be imitated by the sounds "he-he." There is a distinct breaking of the note from the first cackle to the second.
]
Differences between European and Greenland birds
The appearance of European or Russian white-fronted geese, of the race ''albifrons'' and Greenland white-fronted geese, of the race ''flavirostris'', differ in a number of ways. The Greenland white-fronted goose, in all plumages, looks darker and more "oily-looking" than the European white-fronted goose, both at rest and in flight.[
The following are the differences which apply to first-winter plumage:]
* The mantle and scapulars of ''flavirostris'' have narrow, indistinct pale fringes creating a uniform appearance to the birds' upperparts, whereas ''albifrons'' has noticeable whitish fringes creating obviously barred upperparts
* The tertials of ''flavirostris'' have indistinct pale fringes, whereas these pale fringes are more noticeable on ''albifrons''
* The lesser- and median-upperwing-coverts of ''flavirostris'' have narrow, indistinct pale fringes, creating a rather uniform appearance to the wing, whereas on ''albifrons'', these fringes are prominent and broad, creating wing-bars
* The greater-coverts of ''flavirostris'' are dark grey, with a narrow white tip, forming a narrow wing-bar; on ''albifrons'' they are blue-grey, with prominent white tips, forming a bold wing-bar
* The flank-line is narrows and white on ''flavirostris'', but broad and bright white on ''albifrons''
* The tail of ''flavirostris'' is dark brown, with a very narrow white tip and sides; that of ''albifrons'' is dark grey, and the white tip and sides are at least double the width of the corresponding areas on ''flavirostris''
* The bill of ''flavirostris'' is orange-yellow with a dark nail, compared with the bright pink bill of ''albifrons'' which has only a hint of dark on the nail; in addition the bill of ''flavirostris'' is longer and appears slimmer than that of ''albifrons''
The belly-barring on adult birds is on average more extensive on ''flavirostris'' than on ''albifrons'', but the individual variation in both forms renders this of limited use as an identification feature.[
The bill of adult Greenland white-fronts are also orange-yellow at the base, but can be more pinkish-yellow on the outer-half, thus close in colour to European white-fronts; the colour difference is more easily determined in dull, flat light rather than bright sunshine.][
]
Taxonomy
The greater white-fronted goose is divided into five subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
. The nominate subspecies, the European white-fronted goose (''A. a. albifrons'') breeds in the far north of Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and winters further south and west in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
Three other restricted-range races occur in northern North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
: Gambel's white-fronted goose (''A. a. gambeli'') in interior northwestern Canada and wintering on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, slightly larger than the nominate form, the Pacific white-fronted goose (''A. a. frontalis'') and the tule goose (''A. a. elgasi'') in southwest Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
, largest and longest-billed of all, both wintering in California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. All these races are similar in plumage, differing only in size.[
The very distinct Greenland white-fronted goose (''A. a. flavirostris'') breeding in western ]Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
, is much darker overall, with only a very narrow white tip to the tail (broader on the other races), more black barring on its belly and usually has an orange (not pink) bill. It winters in Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and western Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
Birds breeding in the far east of Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
east to Arctic Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, wintering in the United States and Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, have been described as ''A. a. frontalis'' on the basis of their slightly larger size and a marginally longer bill. Another putative East Asian subspecies (''A. a. albicans'') has also been described. A 2012 study has found that ''frontalis'' and ''albicans'' do not merit subspecies status, the former being synonymised with ''gambeli'' and the latter with the nominate subspecies; this study found that these forms had been named on the wintering grounds from specimens whose breeding grounds were unknown.[
]Ecological
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
studies in 2002 suggest the Greenland birds should probably be considered a separate species from ''A. albifrons''.[ Of particular interest is its unusually long period of parental care and association, which may last several years and can include ]grandparent
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic gra ...
ing, possibly unique among the Anseriformes
Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...
.
Distribution
The North American midcontinent birds of the subspecies ''A. a. gambeli'' – which in 2010 had a fall population of about 710,000 birds – breeds from the Alaska North Slope
The Alaska North Slope ( Iñupiaq: ''Siḷaliñiq'') is the region of the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern slope of the Brooks Range along the coast of two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea being on the western sid ...
across the western and central Canadian Arctic. The Pacific white-fronted goose of the American Pacific coast, which in 2010 numbered approximately 650,000 birds, and the tule geese, which are estimated to number 10,000 birds, nest in western Alaska. The midcontinent geese gather in early fall on the prairies of western Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta, spending several weeks feeding before heading to wintering areas near the Gulf of Mexico, into northern Mexico.[ The Pacific birds migrate south down the Pacific coast, staging primarily in the ]Klamath Basin
The Klamath Basin is the region in the U.S. states of Oregon and California drained by the Klamath River. It contains most of Klamath County and parts of Lake and Jackson counties in Oregon, and parts of Del Norte, Humboldt, Modoc, Siskiyou ...
of southern Oregon and northern California and wintering, eventually, in California's Central Valley.[ The tule goose is somewhat rare and has been since the latter half of the 19th century,][ presumably it was affected by destruction of its wintering habitat due to human settlement.][
In the ]British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
, two races overwinter: Greenland birds in Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, and Russian birds in England and Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. They gather on farmland at favoured traditional sites, with a famous flock gathering at WWT Slimbridge
WWT Slimbridge is a wetland wildlife reserve near Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, England. It is midway between Bristol and Gloucester on the eastern side of the estuary of the River Severn. The reserve, set up by the artist and naturalist Sir ...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, England.[ Greenland birds also overwinter in ]Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and from late September and through the winter months, Ireland is home to almost 50% of the Greenland population of white-fronted geese.[
''A. a. albifrons'' and ''A. a. flavirostis'' are among the ]taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
to which the ''Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds'' (AEWA
The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds, or African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is an independent international treaty developed under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme's Conventio ...
) applies.
Behaviour and ecology
Weather conditions are a key factor in the annual breeding success of white-fronted geese. In the Arctic, the window of opportunity for nesting, incubating eggs, and raising a brood to flight state is open briefly, for about three months. Arriving in late May or early June, white-fronted geese begin departing for fall staging areas in early September. This means that a delayed snowmelt or late spring storm can significantly reduce the birds' reproductive success.[
]
Origin of migration
Midcontinental white-fronted geese in North America have many breeding areas and each group in each breeding area differs in its migration time and wintering location. There are six breeding areas, including interior Alaska, the North Slope of Alaska, western Northwest Territories, western Nunavut, central Nunavut, and eastern Nunavut. These spatial differences lead to different departure times for white-fronted geese leaving their breeding areas. Birds from interior Alaska start migrating earlier during autumn and fly farther south to winter.[ Due to their migration, white-fronted geese are commonly sought after by waterfowl hunters, all across the country.
]
Backtracking technique
One technique to identify the migratory flight path of individual birds using isotopes was developed by a researcher from Austrian Institute of Technology named Micha Horacek.[ Horacek thought the different types of feathers growing on a single migratory bird could be a way to backtrack the migratory route of individual birds infected by avian flu to help locate areas that may become infected. This allows the affected area to be measured and marked. Bird feather growth can be used as timeline for nutritional intake during the migratory flight understand the route which the infected bird took and determine the region affected by that particular bird flu. During migratory flight, feathers on white-fronted geese gradually fall off during migration as new feathers grow (a process called moulting). Each location visited by a bird has its own distinct isotopic signature of elements (including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur) that can be taken up by migratory birds ingesting food from that area. These isotopes can be studied by collecting feathers and performing thermal combustion analysis. Because different types of feathers have different growth rates, the growth rates can be used to determine the relative time during which each isotope signal was picked up. Each isotope signal in turn can be compared to the signatures present in the different environments where the goose may have fed.
]
Gallery
White-fronted.goose.750pix.jpg, European white-fronted goose (''A. a. albifrons'') at the Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre
Slimbridge is a village and civil parish near Dursley in Gloucestershire, England.
It is best known as the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's WWT Slimbridge, Slimbridge Reserve which was started by Sir Peter Scott.
Canal and Patch Bridg ...
Anser albifrons in flight at Llano Seco.jpg, In flight
Anser_albifrons_hm.jpg, Illustration from Hume and Marshall's ''Gamebirds of India, Burmah, and Ceylon''
Greater White-fronted Goose from the Crossley ID Guide Britain and Ireland.jpg, ID composite
References
External links
White-fronted goose facts
on the website of RSPB
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...
Greater white-fronted goose
at "All About Birds" (Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a member-supported unit of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, which studies birds and other wildlife. It is housed in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity in Sapsucker Woods Sanctuar ...
)
White-fronted Goose – ''Anser albifrons''
– USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
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{{Authority control
greater white-fronted goose
The greater white-fronted goose (''Anser albifrons'') is a species of goose related to the smaller lesser white-fronted goose (''A. erythropus''). It is named for the patch of white feathers bordering the base of its bill, in fact ''albifrons ...
greater white-fronted goose
The greater white-fronted goose (''Anser albifrons'') is a species of goose related to the smaller lesser white-fronted goose (''A. erythropus''). It is named for the patch of white feathers bordering the base of its bill, in fact ''albifrons ...
Birds of the Arctic
Natural monuments of Japan
greater white-fronted goose
The greater white-fronted goose (''Anser albifrons'') is a species of goose related to the smaller lesser white-fronted goose (''A. erythropus''). It is named for the patch of white feathers bordering the base of its bill, in fact ''albifrons ...
greater white-fronted goose
The greater white-fronted goose (''Anser albifrons'') is a species of goose related to the smaller lesser white-fronted goose (''A. erythropus''). It is named for the patch of white feathers bordering the base of its bill, in fact ''albifrons ...
Articles containing video clips
Holarctic birds