Barnacle Goose

Branta leucopsis (Bechstein, 1803)

Barnacle Goose, Branta leucopsis, is a goose in the Anatidae family and the order Anseriformes. Its breeding range in the IOC list covers the high Arctic of eastern Greenland, Svalbard in northern Norway, and Novaya Zemlya together with nearby Kolguyev and Vaygach islands in north-west Russia. It nests on small islands or on high mountain cliffs, sometimes 200–300 m above the surrounding ground. The species is common and widespread, and both its population and breeding range have expanded in recent decades.

Order

Anseriformes

Family

Anatidae — Ducks, Geese, Swans

Breeding range

Palearctic: high Arctic e Greenland, Svalbard (n of Norway), Novaya Zemlya and nearby Kolguyev and Vaygach is. (nw Russia)

Nonbreeding range

to coastal n British Isles, s Scandinavia, and nw Europe