Ducks, geese, and swans · Waterfowl
Brant
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Branta bernicla
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Voice
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
How to recognize it
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55–66 cm, like a small goose
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Black head and neck, dark brown back
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White neck collar below the throat
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Black bill and legs, very short tail
About the species
Brant is a small, compact goose with a short bill and a dark head and neck. Adults also show a clear white collar, while the body can look anything from grey-brown to nearly black.
It tends to move in a calm, steady way and usually feeds or travels in small groups. Outside the breeding season, it often stays with family parties, and on nesting grounds it uses pairs or small colonies.
It breeds on high-Arctic coastal tundra and islands, then moves south for winter to coasts, rivers, and lakes. In the breeding season it eats grasses, mosses, lichens, and algae, and in winter mostly seaweed.
Where to find
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Along winter waterfronts and canal edges — where a strip of algae or grass meets the water, Brant show up feeding slowly right at the shoreline.
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By large ponds and sheltered bays — especially near reeds, when a loose flock gives a low, honking chorus over the water.
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On grassy riverbanks and waterfront lawns — look for calm groups cropping short grass after high tide or in the early morning.
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At estuaries and brackish inlets — on shallow water with eelgrass, where dark-and-white shapes stay together in compact family groups.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Branta bernicla Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Brant (goose) Encyclopedia article