Barnacle goose

Branta leucopsis

(Photo from Like a Rushing Wind)

Common name:

barnacle goose (en); ganso-de-faces-brancas (pt); bernache nonnette (fr); barnacla cariblanco (es); weißwangengans (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Anseriformes

Family Anatidae

Range:

This species is found in the eastern North Atlantic basin, with three distinct population with different breeding and wintering areas. The birds breeding in eastern Greenland winter in the Hebrides of western Scotland and in western Ireland. The birds breeding on the Norwegian island of Svalbard wintering on the Solway Firth along the border between England and Scotland. The third population breeds on Novaya Zemlya, Russia, and winter in the Netherlands, but some birds from this population have recently started breeding also on the Baltic sea islands of Finland, Estonia, Sweden and Denmark.

Size:

The barnacle goose is 58-70 cm long and has a wingspan of 120-145 cm. They weigh 1,4-2,2 kg.

Habitat:

These birds breed in mountain cliffs and winter in coastal grassland pastures and marshes, also using tidal mudflats.

Diet:

These birds are mostly herbivorous, grazing on short grass and salt marsh plants. They also eat the buds, leaves and catkins of willows, as well as some crustaceans, aquatic insects and molluscs.

Breeding:

They breed in June-August, nesting in small colonies. The nests is a shallow depression in a low mound of vegetation positioned on rocky ground, rocky outcrops, among rocky crags or on steep cliffs, made of plant material and lined with down and feathers. There the female lays 3-5 creamy-white eggs, which she incubates alone for 24-25 days. The precocial chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, often having to jump from high cliffs to fall on rocky ground with only their down and body fat to soften the fall. The chicks feed by themselves, but remain with their parents for up to 7 weeks until becoming fully independent.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a large breeding range and an increasing population currently estimated at 440.000 individuals. In the past the barnacle goose was the target of human exploitation for adults, eggs and down, but the species is now fully protected which accounts for the current positive population trend, thus not being considered threatened at present.

White-backed duck

Thalassornis leuconotus

Photo by Dave Appleton (Flickr)

Common name:

white-backed duck (en); pato-de-dordo-branco (pt); dendrocygne à dos blanc (fr); ganso de nuca blanca (es); weißrücken-pfeifgans (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Anseriformes

Family Anatidae

Range:

This species is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, only being absent from the equatorial rainforests and desert regions.

Size:

The white-backed duck is 43-45 cm long and weighs 625-800 g.

Habitat:

They favour natural or artificial water bodies that have clear water with emergent and floating plants. These include reed lakes, swamps and river marshes.

Diet:

The white-backed duck obtains food through diving for aquatic plant seeds from the muddy bottom and it does so in waters ranging in depth from 30-180 cm. Their diet includes the seeds of the blue water lily Nymphaea nouchali, of the small yellow water lily Nymphoides indica, of knotweed Persecaria limbata, of long-awned water grass Echinochloa stagnina, of swamp grass Paspalidium geminatum, of knuckle-bean Aeschynomene nodulosa and of Polygonum. Occasionally they also eat other parts of the plants and the larvae of Chironomidae.

Breeding:

These birds can breed all year round. Both sexes collaborate in building the nest in a dense stand of reeds or rushes or grasses or sedges growing in the water. The vegetation is bent over to form a vegetative base to the nest, with some of the bases of the bent over stems forming a wall round the nest, broken in one part by an access ramp leading to the water. There the female lays 4-9 light brown eggs which are incubated by both parents for 29-33 days. The ducklings are able to swim, dive and feed within 20 hours of hatching, but the adults accompany the brood until at least fully grown and are highly protective of them. They fledge about 2 months after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range but the global population is estimated at just 12.000-28.000 individuals. The overall trend is decreasing, although some populations may be stable, and this decline is mostly related to modifications of wetlands, especially where the native aquatic flora is affected, namely through the introduction of herbivorous fish, the introduction of exotic plants, deterioration in water quality as a result of deforestation and soil erosion in catchment areas, and pollution. The species is also the target of hunting and egg collection in parts of its range. Still, overall the white-backed duck is not considered threatened at present.

Northern pintail

Anas acuta

Common name:

northern pintail (en); arrabio (pt); canard pilet (fr); pato rabudo (es); spießente (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Anseriformes

Family Anatidae

Range:

This cosmopolitan species breeds from Alaska and the central Canadian Arctic across Greenland, Iceland and Scandinavia to Kamchatka, in Russia, and south to the western and central United States, the United Kingdom, Central Europe and the Caspian Sea. It winters at more southern locations, including north and east Africa, southern Europe, South and Central America, southern Asia, and some Micronesian islands.

Size:

This faily large duck is 50-65 cm long and has a wingspan of 80-95 cm. They weigh around 850 g.

Habitat:

The northern pintail breeds on open, lowland moors, marshes and grasslands around freshwater, brackish or salty lakes, rivers, floodplains, ponds and pools. During the winter it may also be found in estuaries, tidal flats, river deltas and coastal lagoons.

Diet:

This omnivorous and oportunistic species has a varied diet that includes algae, seeds, tubers and grasses, as well as aquatic insects, amphibians and small fish.

Breeding:

The northern pintail breeds in April-June. They nest in either solitary pairs or loose groups, and tends to construct nest further away from water than most other duck species. The nest is a slight hollow on the ground, lined with grass and down, amongst dense vegetation or under a bush. The female lays 7-9 eggs cream-coloured eggs, which she incubates alone for 22-24 days. Soon after hatching, the precocial chicks are led by the female to the nearest body of water, where they feed on dead insects on the water surface. The chicks fledge 46-47 days after hatching, but stay with the female until she completed her moult.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

With a global population estimated at 5.300.000-5.400.000 individuals and an extremely large breeding range, this species is not threatened. Despite this, the loss of wetland habitats and the reclamation of coastal areas for development, together with increased polution of water bodies have a negative impact on this species.

Lesser white-fronted goose

Anser erythropus

Photo by Jari Petomäki (Luonto Portti)

Common name:

lesser white-fronted goose (en); ganso-pequeno-de-testa-branca (pt); oie naine (fr); ansar careto chico (es); zwerggans (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Anseriformes

Family Anatidae

Range:

This species breeds in the northern parts of Eurasia, in the interface of the taiga and tundra zones, from Scandinavia in the west, all the way to north-eastern Siberia. They winter primarily in south-eastern Europe, around the Black and Caspian seas, on the lower Euphrates in Iraq, and in the lowlands of eastern and southern China.

Size:

They are 53-66 cm long and have a wingspan of 115-135 cm. Males tend to be larger than females, weighing 1950-2300 g while females weigh 1400-2150 g.

Habitat:

The lesser white-fronted goose breeds in low-lying bogs, scrub-covered tundra and taiga-forest edges close to wetlands, up to 700 m above sea level. It can also be found on the slopes by lower parts of mountain streams, on mountain foothills, mountain lakes and on alpine precipices, often in thawing boggy areas or on stone fields. During winter and on migration this species frequents open short grassland in the steppe and semi-arid zones, particularly in seashore pastures, arable farmland, pastures and meadows.

Diet:

This species is herbivorous, feeding on grasses, roots, stems, leaves, fruits and the green parts of aquatic and terrestrial plants along lake-shores, rivers and marshes. During the winter they sometimes supplement their diet with agricultural grains.

Breeding:

Lesser white-fronted geese start nesting in May-June. They nest on snow-free patches available early in the breeding season, namely rocky outcrops or prominent hummocks, hidden amongst vegetation or in boggy hollows. The female lays 4-6 eggs, which she incubates alone for 25-28 days. Both parents take care of the chicks until fledging, which takes place 35-40 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)

Although they have a very large breeding range, the specie has suffered a rapid population reduction in its key breeding population in Russia, and equivalent declines are predicted to continue. The Fennoscandian population has undergone a severe historical decline, and has not yet recovered. The current population size is estimated at 20.000-25.000 individuals. They are threatened by unsustainable levels of hunting on the staging and wintering grounds and habitat deterioration, justifying the current vulnerable conservation status.