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Bean Goose

Anser fabalisOrder: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Bean Goose Portrait
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General

Bean Goose: Large goose with scaled brown upperparts and white underparts. Head and neck are dark brown. Bill is black with yellow-orange saddle. Tail is dark with white undertail coverts. Legs and feet are orange. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Bean Goose: Breeds in northern Eurasia, but is rare to casual spring visitor to western Alaska and the Bering Sea islands. Preferred habitats include tundra, wet grasslands, and flooded fields.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ung-ank"

Interesting Facts

  • The Bean Goose gets its English and scientific names from its habit in the past of grazing in bean field stubbles in winter.
  • They were regarded as a common winter visitor to northern and eastern Britain during the first half of the 19th century. A widespread decline in numbers began in the 1860's and 1870's until in the early part of the 20th century only a few flocks remained.
  • They show a preference for pastures which have high proportions of perennial ryegrass. They are intolerant of disturbance and prefer feeding fields with no other grazing livestock during the winter months and choose open areas with unobstructed sight lines both for feeding and for roosting.
  • A group of geese has many collective nouns, including a "blizzard", "chevron", "knot", "plump", and "string" of geese.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Bean 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 fabalis
Length28 - 35 Inches
Wingspan58.5 Inches

Bean Goose

Bean Goose: Large goose, scaled brown upperparts, white underparts. Head, neck are dark brown. Black bill with yellow-orange saddle. Tail is dark with white undertail coverts. Legs and feet are orange. Feeds on plants, seeds, fruits. Strong direct flight on steady wing beats. Flies in V formation.

● Song: "ung-ank"

● Foraging & Feeding: Bean Goose: Eats grass, cereals, potatoes, and other crops.

● Breeding & nesting: Bean Goose: Four to five white eggs are laid on the ground atop a small pile of tundra grass. Incubation ranges from 27 to 29 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Bean Goose: Greater White-fronted Goose has pink bill, white face patch, and dark bars on underparts. Pink-footed Goose has a short bill, bright pink in the middle, and pink feet.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with steady wing beats., Flies in V formation.
Bean Goose Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Bean Goose: Breeds in northern Eurasia, but is rare to casual spring visitor to western Alaska and the Bering Sea islands. Preferred habitats include tundra, wet grasslands, and flooded fields.
BreedingColonial
PopulationRare to casual
MigrationMigratory
Weight113.6 Ounces