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Pink-footed Goose

Anser brachyrhynchusOrder: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Pink-footed Goose Portrait
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General

Pink-footed Goose: Short-necked goose with blue gray mantle and wing coverts, white belly, dark brown head and neck. Pale feather tips produce barring on flanks and upperparts. Pink legs, feet and bill with a brown tip. Females are similar, juveniles are dark brown with a scaly appearance on sides, flanks and back.

Range and Habitat

Pink-footed Goose: Native of Greenland found mainly in open tundra and rocky country. Rare accidental to Newfoundland and northern Altantic Coast.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ung, ung", "wink, wink"

Interesting Facts

  • In 1951, Sir Peter Scott and his team made an expedition to Iceland to seek the breeding grounds of the Pink-footed Goose, which they were successful in discovering.
  • They are more susceptible to disturbance than Greylag Geese and it is interesting that populations in these areas declined during the first half of the 20th century due to increased disturbance and wildfowling but increased significantly when the areas in question became nature reserves.
  • The main threat to Pink-footed Geese is the destruction of breeding habitat, particularly proposed hydroelectric schemes in Iceland which may flood large areas used for breeding, feeding and molting.
  • A group of geese has many collective nouns, including a "blizzard", "chevron", "knot", "plump", and "string" of geese.


Author

Jane Wright Splitbar
Range Map for Pink-footed Goose
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Anser brachyrhynchus
Length26 Inches
Wingspan60 Inches

Pink-footed Goose

Pink-footed Goose: Short-necked goose with blue gray mantle and wing coverts, white belly, dark brown head, neck. Pale feather tips produce barring on flanks and upperparts. Pink legs and feet. Bill is pink with a brown tip and base. Swift direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies in V formation.

● Song: "ung, ung", "wink, wink"

● Foraging & Feeding: Pink-footed Goose: Eats grass and aquatic vegetation in summer. Feeds on grains, grasses, and potatoes in winter.

● Breeding & nesting: Pink-footed Goose: Three to five creamy white eggs, incubated for 26 to 27 days by the female in a shallow scrape on the ground lined with moss and down.

● Similar species: Pink-footed Goose: Greater White-fronted Goose has larger pink to orange bill, orange legs and white patch at base of bill.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with strong wing beats.
Pink-footed Goose Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Pink-footed Goose: Native of Greenland found mainly in open tundra and rocky country. Rare accidental to Newfoundland and northern Altantic Coast.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationRare to accidental
MigrationMigratory
Weight97.6 Ounces