Barnacle goose

    Baranta leucopsis

Castilian: Barnacla cariblanca

Catalan: Oca de galta blanca

Gallego: Ganso de cara branca

Euskera: Branta musuzuri

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Anseriformes

Family: Anatidae

Migratory status: Winter resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category.

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THREATS

Disturbances caused by humans, illegal hunting and the transformation of its surroundings.

Length / size: 58-70 cm / 120-142 cm

Identification: Smaller than other geese, its crown, neck, breast and legs are black, and its back has horizontal light/dark bars across it. Its face and belly are white. In flight, the contrast between the light belly and dark breast can be observed.

Song: It is a loud bird that makes a sort of barking noise "cau", which changes when it is in a group.

Diet: It feeds in groups during night and day, eating grass, seeds, stalks, and occasionally some mollusks and crustaceans.

Reproduction: It begins at the end of May and continues until the end of August. The species breeds in colonies, in precipitous areas. The nest, which is used for several years, is made of grass and other plant matter and has a small crack at the top. The chicks are capable of feeding themselves just hours after birth.

HABITAT

It occupies wet areas, usually close to the sea; it also sometimes appears in inland areas, let there by flocks of geese that it joins. During breeding season it prefers more inaccessible areas, such as islands or steep hillsides, and tends to move to nearby valleys where there is vegetation in order to be able to feed itself.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed irregularly throughout the northwestern half of the peninsula, principally in the lakes in Villafáfila and the Galician wetlands.

In Castile and León: Regular populations are found in Villafáfila (Zamora).

Movements and migrations: The northern populations are migratory and they go from Greenland and northern Russia to Great Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands. The specimens that reach the peninsula are very rare, and the come from Greenland.

POPULATION

In Spain: Only few wintering specimens arrive.

In Castile and León: