Brent goose facts

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The brent goose belongs to the family Anatidae under the order Anseriformes. It is also known as brant goose.

This goose species breeds in Arctic region. The goose species is a long distance migrant and winters in southern coastal areas.

Brent goose - key facts

• Common English name: Brent goose
• Other names: Brant, Brant Goose
• Scientific name: Branta bernicla
• Family: Anatidae (ducks, swans and geese)
• Description: Small (slightly larger than mallard), dark upperparts, varying underpart plumage
• Measurements: Length 55-65 cm; weight 850-1800 gm; wingspan 110–125 cm
• Distribution: North America, Asia, Europe
• Habitat: Arctic tundra, ice tundra, grass tundra, coastal ecosystem
• Diet and feeding habits: marine algae, grass, moss, lichen
• 
  IUCN: Least Concern (LC)
• Species author: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names of Brent goose

• Chinese: 黑雁
• French: Bernache cravant
• German: Ringelgans
• Japanese: コクガン
• Spanish: Barnacla carinegra
• Russian: Чёрная казарка

Taxonomic facts of Branta bernicla
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Genus:	Branta
Species:	B. bernicla
Subspecies:	4 subspecies
Binomial name:	Branta bernicla
Synonyms/Protonym:	Anas Bernicla Linnaeus, 1758

Subspecies of Branta bernicla

• Branta bernicla bernicla (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Branta bernicla hrota (O. F. Müller, 1776)
• Branta bernicla nigricans (Lawrence, 1846)
• Branta bernicla orientalis Tugarinov, 1941

1.Brent goose (pale-bellied)
Image by Peter Massas

2.Brent goose (pale-bellied)
Image by Arnstein Rønning

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1.Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Branta_bernicla_-Keyport,_New_Jersey,_USA-8.jpg (cropped)
Author: Peter Massas | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 as on 1/10/19
2.Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Branta_bernicla_Lvk.jpg (cropped)
Author: Arnstein Rønning | License: CC BY-SA 4.0 as on 1/10/19
Link to Creative Commons copyright licenses

Updated Jan 11, 2019
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