Brent goose

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The brent goose is a small goose, about 60-64 cm long, with a body-weight of about only 1.4 to 1.5 kg in males, and 1.2 to 1.4 kg in females. It has a short stubby bill, rather long and pointed wings, and very short tail.

The plumage of the head neck and breast is black with a small whitish patch on either side of the neck. Extensive white uppertail coverts almost conceal the black tail. Upper parts and wings are blackish or dark grey, the colour of the under parts varies according to subspecies, the lower belly and vent are white.

3 to 5 white eggs are laid in a nest heavily lined with thick down, which are incubated exclusively by the female for 22-26 days.

The brent goose’s food consists of plant material of the tidal zone, such as eel grass, seaweed and sea lettuce, but also grasses and winter-sown cerals such as wheat.

Did you know?
That this goose is able to achieve remarkable speeds of up to 99 kilometres per hour?

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	ANSERIFORMES
Suborder	ANSERES
Family	ANATIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Branta bernicla
Name (English)	Brent goose
Name (French)	Bernache cravant
Name (German)	Ringelgans
Name (Spanish)	Barnacla carinegra
Local names	Czech: Berneska tmavá Dutch: Rotgans Estonian: Mustlagle Finnish: Serpelhanhi Hungarian: Örvös lúd Italian: Oca colombaccio Polish: Bernikla obrozna Portugiese: Ganso-de-faces-negras Romansh: Auca da cularin
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Appendix II (as Anatidae spp.) Included in AEWA

Photo Copyright by
Andreas Trepte

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Branta b. bernicla: Breeding range is N Europe and Asia, winters along the coasts of NW Europe and England. Branta b. hrota: Breeding range is along the coast and islands of eastern arctic Canada, N Greenland and Spitsbergen, winters on Iceland and along the Atlantic coast of North America. Branta b. orientalis: Breeding range is W Arctic Canada, Alaska and E Siberia, winters along the Pacific coast of North America, in Japan, N China and the Koreas. Branta b. nigricans: Breeding range is the extreme NE Siberia to NC Canada
Habitat	Marine, feshwater wetlands, pastures
Wild population	The global population is estimated to be 570,000 individuals by Wetlands International (2002).
Zoo population	48 reported to ISIS (2006)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 17 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Why do zoos keep this animal

The brent goose is kept for educational reasons, often in mixed exhibits for northern Eurasian fauna together with ungulates, cranes and other waterfowl. Outside the breeding season it may be kept in walk-thru exhibits, allowing for close encounters with the public. It is this a good ambassador species for wetland conservation.

How this animal should be kept

Unless a lot of space is available allowing the birds to disperse, pairs should be separated during the breeding season in an enclosure or aviary with a land surface of 100 to 200 m² and a water surface of 10 to 50 m². For the rest of the year, the geese may be kept in larger social groups. If kept in multispecies waterfowl exhibits, the species should be selected in a way to avoid hybridisation. Note that WAZA has adopted the policy of outphasing pinioning, and that several countries prohibit the use of surgical methods for flight restraint.

Brent geese need access to grass for food. Supplementary feeding , in the form of pellets can be a substitute in the winter months, when grass levels are low. All food stored must be kept in a dry condition. If it becomes damp it should not be used. It is important that the food fed is fresh. If food is fed into water, only as much as will be readily eaten should be given. All feed containers in pens should be cleaned regularly. Grit should be available on a regular basis, and additional limestone grit should be fed on available annually, just prior to the egg-laying season.