Barnacle goose

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The barnacle goose is a small goose, about 63-71 cm long, with a body-weight of about 1.7 kg in males, and 1.5 kg in females. It is short-necked, and has a stubby black bill and black feet.

Except for the white or cream-coloured face with a black streak extending from bill to eye, the plumage of the head neckand brast is black. The upper parts and wings are bluish-grey barred with black, the lower parts whitish, and the tail is black with white coverts.

The Canada goose’s food consists predominantly of plant material and includes seagrasses, sedges and aquatic plants, but also grasses and winter-sown cereals such as wheat.

Breeding starts in late May or June and may be colonial. 4 to 6 white eggs are laid, which are incubated exclusively by the female for 24-25 days.

Barnacle geese are very vocal and make a "kaw" sound similar to the yap of a small dog.

Did you know?
that barnacle goslings have to make their way from precipitous sea cliffs to the safety of water below in the first few hours after hatching? Females have actually been reported to carry the young to safety on their back or in their bill.

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	ANSERIFORMES
Suborder	ANSERES
Family	ANATIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Branta leucopsis
Name (English)	Barnacle goose
Name (French)	Bernache nonnette
Name (German)	Nonnengans, Weisswangengans
Name (Spanish)	Barnacla cariblanca
Local names	Estonian: Valgepõsk-lagle Italian: Oca facciabianca Rumansh: Auca da mungia Swedish: Vitkindad gås
CITES Status	Appendix I
CMS Status	Appendix II (as Anatidae spp.) Included in AEWA

Photo Copyright by
Linnea Samila

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, United Kingdom. Vagrants may be encountered in many other European countries and in the United States.
Habitat	Freshwater wetlands.
Wild population	The global population is estimated to be 440,000 individuals by Wetlands International (2002).
Zoo population	591 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
Thermos

Why do zoos keep this animal

The barnacle 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, in particular, barnacle geese and Canada geese should not be kept in the same enclosure. Note that WAZA has adopted the policy of outphasing pinioning, and that several countries prohibit the use of surgical methods for flight restraint. Barnacle geese may have some invasive potential, and free flight should be restricted to institutions within the range of the respective subspecies.

Barnacle 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.