Gunther Zieger

The only grey goose with a circumpolar arctic distribution. Two subspecies in Europe, with nominate pink-billed albifrons breeding in northern Russia and Siberia and wintering across milder parts of continental Europe, and the larger, orange-billed subspecies flavirostris, which breeds in western Greenland and winters in Ireland, wetsern Scotland, England and Wales.

Season of assessment

W

Population trendStable
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		1180000-1970000,1420000
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 Greater White-fronted Goose

Russian and Siberian albifrons moves southwest to winter in Northwest, Central and Southeast Europe. Most recoveries have been obtained during the early 2000s. Most ringing efforts on the wintering grounds, in West and Central Europe, so connectivity patterns from ringing recoveries do not illustrate well the destinations of Siberian breeders. No age specific migration strategies, as expected from species undergoing fall familial migration (Kölzsch et al. 2020). Tracked birds wintering in Hungary breed in Arctic Central Siberia, while tracked birds wintering in the Netherlands bred in Arctic Western Siberia, near the Pechora Sea. West Greenland flavirostris move south-east staging in spring and autumn in Iceland to winter in Ireland and western Britain.

Recoveries by Condition for Greater White-fronted Goose

As for other hunted grey geese, we observe a classical switch from mainly dead recoveries (89%) before 1960 to mainly colour mark reads today (85%), though dead recoveries still the second recovery condition (14%). The large amount of alive recoveries thanks to colour marking in the 2000s drives the general pattern of live re-encounters.

Annual Movements for Greater White-fronted Goose

Two wintering families tagged in the Netherlands moved above the continent, with stopovers in Belarus, then moved along the Arctic coast to reach the Taymyr (Kölzsch et al. 2020). Birds tagged in the lower countries in winter migrated to Western siberia and took considerably longer for spring migration (83 days) than autumn migration (42 days) (Kölzsch et al. 2016). Birds tagged in winter in Hungary migrated eastward north of the Black Sea, above North Kazakhstan before turning North to reach the Taymyr. This difference in duration was mainly determined by time spent at stopovers. Tracked flavirostris wintering in Ireland and Scotland departed during the last days of March / first decade of April to reach Iceland where they refuelled, and left Iceland for Greenland during the first week of May, arriving on their breeding grounds two days later.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Greater White-fronted Goose

Northwest movements of Siberian birds wintering in the Low Countries start at the end of February, with an obvious concentration of recoveries during April in Central Europe, and moves along the Russian arctic coast in May. Return migration starts in September but occurs mainly in October over Central Europe, with winterers almost all arrived in the lower countries by the end of the month (Kölzsch et al. 2016). Greenland flavirostris is present in Iceland late August-late November, with most present from mid-September to early November.

Frédéric Jiguet

References

Statistics Map
N records N individuals N recoveries
Mapped data*
Total available data
*Mapped data include only distant (>= 50 km) recoveries
References Map
Kölzsch A, Flack A, Müskens GJDM, Kruckenberg H, Glazov P, Wikelski M2020 . Goose parents lead migration V. Journal of Avian Biology 51 Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02392)
Kölzsch A, Müskens GJDM, Kruckenberg H, Glazov P, Weinzierl R, Nolet BA, Wikelski M2016 . Towards a new understanding of migration timing: slower spring than autumn migration in geese reflects different decision rules for stopover use and departure. Oikos 125 Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.03121) : 1496–1507

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