? Brent Goose Conservation status: Lower risk (lc)
Dark-bellied Brent Geese
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Branta Species: B. bernicla
Binomial name
Branta bernicla (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Brent Goose (Branta bernicla) is a goose of the genus Branta, known in North America as Brant. The spelling "Brant" is the original one, with "Brent" being a later folk-etymological idea that it was derived from a classical Greek waterbird name brenthos. It is in fact onomatopoeic, derived from the guttural call note of the species. For the origin of the scientific name bernicla, see Barnacle Goose. ImageMetadata File history File links Rotgans. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families  Anhimidae  Anseranatidae  Anatidae The order Anseriformes contains about 150 species of bird in three families: the Anhimidae (the screamers), Anseranatidae (the Magpie Goose), and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans. ... Subfamilies Dendrocygninae Thalassorninae Anserinae Stictonettinae Plectropterinae Tadorninae Anatinae Merginae Oxyurinae Anatidae is the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swan. ... Other uses: Goose (disambiguation) Genera Anser Branta Chen Cereopsis † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae Goose (plural geese) is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as â–¶ (help· info), and in English usually under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), the name with which his publications were signed, was a Swedish botanist and physician who laid the foundations for the modern scheme... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Genera Anser Branta Chen Cereopsis Cnemiornis(extinct) † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae Goose (plural geese) is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a grouping in the classification of living organisms having one or more related and morphologically similar species. ... Other uses: Goose (disambiguation) Genera Anser Branta Chen Cereopsis † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae Goose (plural geese) is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Folk etymology (or popular etymology) is a linguistic term for a category of false etymology which has grown up in popular lore, as opposed to one which arose in scholarly usage. ... Look up onomatopoeia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... Binomial name Branta leucopsis ((Bechstein, 1803)) The Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. ...

The Brent Goose is a small goose, about 60 cm long and with a short, stubby bill. The under-tail is pure white, and the tail black and very short (the shortest of any goose). Genera Anser Branta Chen Cereopsis Cnemiornis(extinct) † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae Goose (plural geese) is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. ...

It used to be a strictly coastal bird in winter, seldom leaving tidal estuaries, where it fed on eel-grass (Zostera marina) and a type of seaweed, sea lettuce (Ulva). In recent decades, it has started using agricultural land a short distance inland, feeding extensively on grass and winter-sown cereals. This may be behaviour learnt by following other species of geese. Food resources pressure may also be important in forcing this change, as the world population has risen over ten-fold to 400-500,000 by the mid 1980s, possibly reaching the carrying capacity of the estuaries. A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... The tide is the regular rising and falling of the oceans surface caused by changes in gravitational forces external to the Earth. ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing numerous ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits and services. ... Species Zostera japonica Zostera marina Zostera is a genus small genus of widely distributed aquatic grass, it is commonly called eelgrass. ... Species Zostera japonica Zostera marina Zostera is a small genus of widely distributed seagrass, commonly called eelgrass. ... Seaweed covered rocks in the UK Phycologists consider seaweed to refer any of a large number of marine benthic algae that are multicellular, macrothallic (large-bodied), and thus differentiated from most algae that tend to be microscopic in size (Smith, 1944). ... Species Ulva lactuca Ulva pertusa Ulva fasciata Ulva rigida Ulva pertusa Ulva linza and more at algaeBASE The sea lettuces comprise the genus Ulva, a group of edible green algae widely distributed along the coasts of the worlds oceans. ... A grassy swamp. ... Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a caryopsis). ... In ecology, carrying capacity is the measure of habitat to indefinitely sustain a population at a particular density. ...

In the breeding season, it uses low-lying wet coastal tundra for both breeding and feeding. The nest is bowl-shaped, lined with grass and down, in an elevated location, often in a small pond. In physical geography, tundra is an area where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and OMFG. The term tundra comes from Kildin Sami tū̄ndra, the genitive of tundar, treeless plain. There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, Antarctic tundra, and alpine tundra. ...

Brent Goose has three subspecies:

• Dark-bellied Brent Goose Branta bernicla bernicla
• Pale-bellied Brent Goose Branta bernicla hrota
• Black and Gray Brent Goose Branta bernicla nigricans

Some DNA evidence suggests that these forms are genetically distinct; while a split into three separate species has been proposed, it is not widely accepted, with other evidence upholding their maintenance as a single species.

The body of the Dark-bellied form is fairly uniformly dark grey-brown all over, the flanks and belly not significantly paler than the back. The head and neck are black, with a small white patch on either side of the neck. It breeds on the Arctic coasts of central and western Siberia and winters in western Europe, with over half the population in southern England, the rest between northern Germany and northern France. Siberia Siberia (Russian: , common English transliterations: Sibir’, Sibir; from the Tatar for “sleeping land”) is a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan constituting almost all of northern Asia. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK...

The Pale-bellied Brent Goose appears blackish-brown and light grey in colour. The body is different shades of grey-brown all over, the flanks and belly are significantly paler than the back and present a marked contrast. The head and neck are black, with a small white patch on either side of the neck. It breeds in Franz Josef Land, Svalbard, Greenland and northeastern Canada, wintering in Denmark, northeast England, Ireland and the Atlantic coast of the U.S. from Maine to Georgia. Location of Franz Josef Land Franz Josef Land (Russ. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... Motto: Official (Latin): E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Translated: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government  â€¢ President  â€¢ Vice President Federal... Official language(s) None Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 39th 86,542 km² 305 km 515 km 13. ...

The Black Brent Goose appears blackish-brown and white in colour. The nominate subspecies is a very contrastingly black and white bird, with a uniformly dark grey-brown back, the underparts being black at the front and grading to white at the rear; it also has larger white neck patches, forming a near-complete collar. It breeds in northwestern Canada, Alaska and eastern Siberia, and wintering mostly on the west coast of North America from southern Alaska to California, but also some in east Asia, mainly Japan. The subspecies orientalis (Gray Brant or Intermediate Brant) has lighter underparts which give less of a contrast; it is of doubtful validity and may be an intergrade between the Black Brent and the Pale-bellied Brent. This form breeds in central arctic Canada (mainly Melville Island), and winters in the Puget Sound on the American west coast around the U.S./Canada border. Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 1st 663,267 mi² / 1 717 854 km² 808 mi / 1300 km 1,479 mi / 2380 km 13. ... Siberia Siberia (Russian: , common English transliterations: Sibir’, Sibir; from the Tatar for “sleeping land”) is a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan constituting almost all of northern Asia. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 1st 663,267 mi² / 1 717 854 km² 808 mi / 1300 km 1,479 mi / 2380 km 13. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... See also: Asian and Eurasian World map showing Asia. ... Categories: Canada geography stubs | Islands of Canada | Nunavut geography | Northwest Territories geography ... Puget Sound Puget Sound is an arm (sound) of the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ...

References

• Wildfowl by Madge and Burn, ISBN 0-7470-2201-1
• Shields, G. F. (1990). Analysis of mitochondrial DNA of Pacific Black Brant. The Auk 107: 620-623.
• Syroechkovski, E. E., Zöckler, C. & Lappo, E. (1998). Status of Brent Goose in northwestern Yakutia, East Siberia. Brit. Birds 91: 565-572.

External Links

• Birdguides Brent Goose Page
• RSPB Brent Goose Page

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Category:Branta bernicla