Pink-footed Goose
Pink-footed Goose
The Pink-footed Goose ( Anser brachyrhynchus ), also called Small Rietgans heard within the genuine goose belonging to the genus of the field geese ( Anser ). It is a breeding bird of the Arctic. The species was first described in 1833 by François Baillon in the published in Abbeville in 1834 Mémoires de la Société royale d' émulation d' Abbeville.
In Central Europe, the winter breeding birds of Spitsbergen. They can be observed in the Netherlands and Belgium and in hard winters on the coast of northern France. In the central European inland they are rare vagrants. For example, up to 21 individuals of this species were observed in Bavaria in the years 1900-1980 in eight years.
Appearance
The Pink-footed Goose sees the Bean Goose (Anser fabalis ) are very similar, from which it is externally one mainly by the pink and not orange feet, which lightened on the back gray, or gray-brown striped plumage, darker head and slightly shorter and with pink banded beak is different. With a weight of about 2.5 to 3.5 kg, their body length by an average of 66 inches and a wingspan of about 1.30 to 1.70 meters, it is also somewhat smaller than this.
Wild birds go through to mid-July, the swing Mauser. This comes at a time when the goslings hatched from eggs since about two to three weeks. The parents are then about 25 days flightless. Then the moulting of the small feathers and tail feathers follows.
The Dunenküken have a highly variable plumage. However, they are usually at the top brown and also have a brown head crown and a brown eye spot. On the underparts are whitish to yellowish green. Some individuals lack the yellowish paint. At the time of hatching, the beak is gray-black with a pink or cream-colored nail. The feet, legs and webbed feet are dark gray. At the time when the young fledge -footed geese, beak base and the tip of the beak are only gray black. Otherwise, the bill is flesh-colored. The feet and the webbed feet are pink -gray. The iris is brown.
Voice
The Pink-footed Goose is a very joyful voting goose. Their calls are on the pitch higher than that of gray goose. You can with those of the white-fronted goose, or Zwerggans be confused. In flight they can usually three - silbiges hear a two-to ag - ag or glick glick. Pink-footed geese, who feel threatened can hear distinct hissing sounds.
Dissemination
Pink-footed geese are migratory birds that sometimes connect to other species of geese in the train. Your winter home is located in the British Isles, Belgium and the Netherlands, in the coastal areas of northern Germany and Denmark, during their breeding areas for the wintering in Britain birds in Greenland and Iceland, there particularly in the drainage area of the yard - Jökull Glacier, otherwise on Spitsbergen lie. In the single European country they are very rare.
Vagrants are occasionally observed in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland.
Habitat
In winter, pink-footed geese live with preference in meadows, floodplains, but also on pastures. In their summer breeding area they inhabit in large colonies sometimes over 400 m high vegetated rocky areas and caused by early summer glacier melt swamps, bogs and lakes in Iceland often cooled lava fields. Also river islands serve them as a shelter from predators such as the Arctic Fox.
Nutrition
In their breeding grounds to feed the geese from the summer lush growing arctic vegetation, especially of leaves and buds of knotweed, meadowfoam seed, dandelion or cranesbill, in winter from all the available herbs and grasses, like and the products of modern agriculture. The agriculturally cultivated plants that are eaten by pink-footed geese, among other potatoes. This dietary habit developed in the 19th century, when it was common in a number of regions to plant as the successor crop of potatoes wheat. Wheat is one of the traditional food crops of pink-footed geese and the first potatoes, the pink-footed geese have been with those who remain are from the previous potato crop and are hardened by the frost. Thus, the potatoes were soft and allowed the geese, the change in diet. The first report that pink-footed geese invaded on fields where no wheat was grown as Folgesaat comes from Lancashire in the year 1890. Nowadays include potatoes to the most important food crop of pink-footed geese who winter in the UK.
Reproduction
The breeding season of the Pink-footed Goose starts around the beginning of June after the swarms in mid-May have arrived in their breeding area and there have sometimes formed loose colonies. The nest is located on the edge of canyons, cliffs and rocky slopes or on islands in rivers. Only occasionally breeding pink-footed geese in the open tundra. There are basically colony breeders who use the same Niststandorte usually several times.
The female lays about 3-7 smooth white eggs in the high-altitude and lined with soft Dunenfedern nest, which are then incubated by him for good three and a half weeks. The laying pitch is about 24 hours. The male does not participate in the breeding business, but watching his brood and partner. The hatched young are precocial, which fledge after about two months. If in July the adult birds undergo their molt and are flightless, they form distinct foci along with their peers. From August, the joint return flight begins in the wintering areas. Usually start the pups in their third year of life itself with the breeding and rearing of young.