THE LEUCISTIC BARNACLE GOOSE/BRANTA LEUCOPSIS/HVITKINNGÅS

Individual white barnacle geese have been occasionally visiting northern of Norway with the flocks for years now. They are characterised by pale feathers, but are not true albinos, as they have black eyes, beaks and legs.

These peculiar birds are the result of a genetic hiccup, called leucism. The standard black, grey and white gene is dominant in barnacle geese. An abnormality results in the white (or leucistic) gene which is double recessive. Of the three distinct breeding populations, we think that it’s only the Svalbard population that has ever thrown up this morph.

The barnacle goose is a medium-sized goose, 55–70 cm (22–28 in) long, with a wingspan of 130–145 cm (51–57 in) and a body mass of 1.21–2.23 kg (2.7–4.9 lb). It has a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars that look like they are shining when the light reflects on it. During flight, a V-shaped white rump patch and the silver-gray underwing linings are visible.

Barnacle geese breed mainly on the Arctic islands of the North Atlantic. There are three main populations, with separate breeding and wintering ranges - from west to east:

  • Breeding in eastern Greenland, wintering on the Hebrides of western Scotland and in western Ireland, population about 40,000

  • Breeding in southeast and northwest Iceland, population about 1000

  • Breeding on Svalbard, Norway, wintering on the Solway Firth on the England/Scotland border, population about 24,000

  • Breeding on Novaya Zemlya, Russia, wintering in the Netherlands, population about 130,000

  • A recent population, derived from the Novaya Zemlya population, has become established since 1975 breeding on the islands and coasts of the Baltic Sea (Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden), and wintering in the Netherlands and Germany. Its population numbers about 8,000.

All pictures are copyright © Patty Thorbergsen All rights reserved.

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Previous post : May 15th, 2022

REDSHANK / TRINGA TOTANUS / RØDSTILK

The common redshank or simply redshank (Tringa totanus) is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae. Common redshanks in breeding plumage are a marbled brown color, slightly lighter below. In winter plumage they become somewhat lighter-toned and less patterned, being rather plain greyish-brown above and whitish below. They have red legs and a black-tipped red bill, and show white up the back and on the wings in flight.

BirdLife Norway wants to focus on the redshank, and has therefore named it the Bird of the Year in 2022.

29.05.2022 Copyright © Patty Thorbergsen All rights reserved.

To request such permission or for further enquires, please contact: patty@thorbergsen.com

BARNACLE GOOSE/BRANTA LEUCOPSIS/HVITKINNGÅS

The barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) is a species of goose that belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species.

The barnacle goose is a medium-sized goose, 55–70 cm (22–28 in) long, with a wingspan of 130–145 cm (51–57 in) and a body mass of 1.21–2.23 kg (2.7–4.9 lb). It has a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars that look like they are shining when the light reflects on it. During flight, a V-shaped white rump patch and the silver-gray underwing linings are visible.

Barnacle geese breed mainly on the Arctic islands of the North Atlantic. There are three main populations, with separate breeding and wintering ranges - from west to east:

  • Breeding in eastern Greenland, wintering on the Hebrides of western Scotland and in western Ireland, population about 40,000

  • Breeding in southeast and northwest Iceland, population about 1000

  • Breeding on Svalbard, Norway, wintering on the Solway Firth on the England/Scotland border, population about 24,000

  • Breeding on Novaya Zemlya, Russia, wintering in the Netherlands, population about 130,000

  • A recent population, derived from the Novaya Zemlya population, has become established since 1975 breeding on the islands and coasts of the Baltic Sea (Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden), and wintering in the Netherlands and Germany. Its population numbers about 8,000.