Red-breasted Goose

Branta ruficollis

Introduction

A rare, but more or less annual, visitor to Britain in winter, numbers of this Arctic breeding goose on its usual wintering grounds in SE Europe, though variable, are thought to be declining

Key Stats

Status

Rare

Weight

1.2kg

Seasonality

<1%

BTO Records

4.9k records

Population and distribution stats for:

No data

No current data

% expansion

No data

No current data

562.5% expansion

Status and Trends

Population size, trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO and partnership surveys and atlasses with data collected by BTO volunteers.

Conservation Status

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This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

Species of European Conservation Concern

Vulnerable

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)

Vulnerable

Schedule 1 Licence required (to disturb)*

Birds Directive Annex 1

* A guide only. Check details with the original legislation, especially those marked with an asterisk. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Size

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BOU Category

Source

First Record*

Middlesex, 1776

* First documented occurrence. Most species undoubtedly occurred before this. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Change

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Population trends of this scarce species are not routinely monitored.

Distribution

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Although a small number of vagrant Red-breasted Geese from the declining arctic Siberian breeding population winter in Britain each year, the species is popular in wildfowl collections and many birds are of captive origin. Vagrants are typically found in flocks of Brent Geese or Barnacle Geese so the winter distribution map mimics the stopover and wintering areas of those species.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007 and indicate how widespread a species is.

No. occupied in breeding season

% occupied in breeding season

0.03%

No. occupied in winter

% occupied in winter

1.9%

Bird Atlas distribution maps show where bird species breed or winter in Britain and Ireland. For breeding maps, larger dots indicate higher certainty the species bred in that area.

Winter Distribution for Red-breasted Goose

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or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Breeding Distribution for Red-breasted Goose

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or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

To view and download up-to-date distribution information aggregated from across BTO and partnership surveys and schemes, see our data holdings on the NBN Atlas.

Distribution Change

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Change in occupied 10-km squares in the UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007-11 and indicate by how much occupied areas have expanded or contracted over recent decades.

% change in range in winter (1981–84 to 2007–11)

562.5 %

Bird Atlas distribution change maps show how bird distributions have changed through time. Coloured upward-pointing triangles show places apparently colonised over the period; grey downward-pointing triangles show places apparently vacated. Shading show places occupied.

Winter Distribution change for Red-breasted Goose

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or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Breeding Distribution change for Red-breasted Goose

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Seasonality

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Red-breasted Geese are rare winter visitors most often associating with winter goose flocks, but the picture is clouded by escaped birds and a localised feral breeding population.

Weekly pattern of occurrence

The graph shows when the species is present in the UK, with taller bars indicating a higher likelihood of encountering the species in appropriate regions and habitats.

Phenology graph — Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.

Movement

Information about Red-breasted Goose movements and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

Britain & Ireland movement

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View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report

European movements

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EuroBirdPortal uses birdwatcher's records, such as those logged in BirdTrack to map the flows of birds as they arrive and depart Europe. See maps for this species here.

The Eurasian-African Migration Atlas shows movements of individual birds ringed or recovered in Europe. See maps for this species here.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information for Red-breasted Goose, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

Survival and Longevity

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Survival is shown as the proportion of birds surviving from one year to the next and is derived from bird ringing data. It can also be used to estimate how long birds typically live.

Classification, names and codes

Taxonomy, names and species codes for Red-breasted Goose

Classification and Codes

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Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Scientific name: Branta ruficollis
Authority: Pallas, 1769

BTO 2-letter code: EB
BTO 5-letter code: REBGO
Euring code number: 1690

Alternate species names

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Catalan: oca de coll roig
Czech: berneška rudokrká
Danish: Rødhalset Gås
Dutch: Roodhalsgans
Estonian: punakael-lagle
Finnish: punakaulahanhi
French: Bernache à cou roux

German: Rothalsgans
Hungarian: vörösnyakú lúd
Icelandic: Fagurgæs
Italian: Oca collorosso
Latvian: sarkankakla zoss
Lithuanian: rudakakle bernikle
Norwegian: Rødhalsgås

Polish: bernikla rdzawoszyja
Portuguese: ganso-de-peito-ruivo
Slovak: bernikla cervenokrká
Slovenian: rdecevrata gos
Spanish: Barnacla cuelliroja
Swedish: rödhalsad gås
Welsh: Gwydd Frongoch

More Evidence

More evidence from Conservation Evidence.com

Partners

Birdfacts is based on data collected by volunteers participating in surveys that are organised and funded by BTO, RSPB, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, JNCC and other partners.

BTO

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

JNCC

RSPB

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