Sergey Dereliev

Smallest goose species breeding circumpolar at very high latitudes on open tundra. Wintering habitat marine, feeding on eelgrass beds and algae in tidal areas and on coastal grasslands and salt marshes. Two taxa exist in Europe, dark-bellied brent bernicla breeding in northern Siberia and wintering in Western Europe, and white-bellied brent hrota breeding on Western Greenland and Canada and wintering in (Northern) Ireland, and breeding on Svalbard and wintering mainly in Denmark. Breeding output cyclic, with high numbers of offspring during lemming peak. Cycle less obvious in recent years.

Season of assessment

W

Population trendStable
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		198000-225000,211000
Red List categoryLC
Franks, S., Fiedler, W., Arizaga, J., Jiguet, F., Nikolov, B., van der Jeugd, Ambrosini, R, Aizpurua, O., Bairlein, F., Clark, J., Fattorini, N, Hammond, M., Higgins, D, Levering, H., Skellorn, W., Spina, F, Thorup, K. Walker, J., Woodward, I. and Baillie, S.R. (1) (2022) Online Atlas of the movements of European bird populations. https://migrationatlas.org EURING/CMS (1) Principal investigator
Map

Overall Connectivity for Brent Goose

Striking connectivity pattern with birds fanning out from coastal wintering sites in Western Europe to Arctic breeding areas stretching many thousands of kilometres from Canada to the Taymir peninsula in Siberia. Greenland white-bellied brent extremely rare on European mainland. Svalbard white-bellied brent occasionally moves further south from Denmark during cold winters. Dark-bellied brent from Siberia winter in tidal areas in Wadden Sea, North Humberland, Norfolk and Essex, and the Atlantic coast of France. During spring migration, Greenland white-bellied brent stop-over at Iceland and dark-bellied Brent on the Russian Kanin peninsula and coasts further east. Impressive mass migration of dark-bellied brent through Baltic in May with whole population moving through in a few days.

Recoveries by Condition for Brent Goose

Most recoveries are readings of metal or colour rings. Pre-1960 all recoveries from shot birds. Hunting ceased latest in Denmark in 1972. Most ringing activities took place in 1980ies and 1990ies with activity concentrated during spring. Hence, most recoveries are from same period.

Annual Movements for Brent Goose

Wintering dark-bellied birds found furthest south in November through January, with movements from English and French coasts to Wadden Sea starting in February through April. Mass migration during the lasts days of May when winds are favourable through the Baltic to Arctic Russian staging sites and on to Siberian breeding sites in June. Autumn migration in September to Wadden Sea and on to UK and France in October. Svalbard recoveries very few but suggest movement of light-bellied birds from Denmark and Northumbria in April/May and back in September. Canadian breeders leave for Iceland end of August and September, main arrival in Ireland in October, spring migration to Iceland end April/May, on to Greenland and Canada in June.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Brent Goose

North-west region (UK, Ireland, Iceland) holds wintering birds from each of the three populations. Birds wintering in Ireland are connected to Greenland and in Canada in summer. Birds wintering in the Northeast tightly linked to wintering sites in Northern Denmark and found on Svalbard in summer, dark-bellied birds wintering in the Southwest connect to breeding sites in Siberia in summer. Connections to wintering sites in France almost absent. Birds wintering on the French coast connect straight to Siberian breeding grounds, or via the Wadden Sea in spring. Birds in the Dutch Wadden Sea in May are tightly connected to Siberia in summer, pointing to importance of the area as spring hub before migration. Pattern is somewhat biased as most ringing takes place in May in the Dutch Wadden Sea.

Henk van der Jeugd

References

Statistics Map
N records N individuals N recoveries
Mapped data*
Total available data
*Mapped data include only distant (>= 50 km) recoveries