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Tundra Bean Goose

Tundra Bean Goose

Anser serrirostris

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The Tundra Bean Goose is a medium-large grey goose that breeds on the Arctic tundra of northern Siberia and migrates to winter in Europe and Asia. It often occurs in small numbers among other grey geese and can be tricky to distinguish from the closely related Taiga Bean Goose; some authorities split the two, while others treat them as a single species.

Did you know?

  • Genetic studies suggest the tundra and taiga lineages diverged about 2.5 million years ago and later exchanged genes again.
  • Some bird lists split the Tundra and Taiga Bean Geese, while others still lump them as a single “bean goose”.

Voice

Flight call

About the species

Identification

A medium-sized grey-brown goose with bright orange legs and a black bill with a narrow orange band near the tip. The upper wing-coverts are dark brown with narrow white fringes. Told from Pink-footed Goose by its orange (not pink) bill band and legs and browner (not bluish-grey) coverts. Very similar to Taiga Bean Goose, but usually smaller, shorter-necked and with a shorter, stubbier bill.

Family

Anatidae

Size

Very large (swan)

Colours

brown, grey, orange, white

About the habitat

Breeds on open Arctic tundra. On migration and in winter it uses open wetlands, lake shores, coastal areas and farmland.

Diet

Grasses and sedges, plus roots, seeds and spilled grain on farmland during migration and in winter.

Behaviour

A long-distance migrant that travels and feeds in flocks, often mixed with other grey geese. It grazes and probes with its bill; the call is a loud honk, higher-pitched in smaller birds.

Sources

Photo: 邱文強, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:101777 豆雁來臨.jpg

Sound: Jochem verweij, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anser_serrirostris_-_Tundra_Bean_Goose_XC512591.mp3

Text: Wikipedia (English) + GBIF regional observations + Wikipedia (English), CC BY-SA 4.0; GBIF occurrence data; Wikipedia: CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tundra_bean_goose

See also