Branta leucopsis

Barnacle goose(Branta leucopsis)

Phylumchordata
Class — aves
Order — anseriformes
Family — anatidae

Genus – branta

                                                        Appearance

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.

Habitat

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

  • Breeding in eastern Greenland, wintering on the Hebrides of western Scotland and in western Ireland.
  • Breeding on Svalbard, wintering on the Solway Firth on the England/Scotland border.
  • Breeding on Novaya Zemlya, wintering in the Netherlands.

Behavior

Barnacle geese are migratory birds that travel between their breeding and overwintering grounds in the spring and fall. Barnacle geese fly as a flock and make turns and twists as a group. The wingbeats are rapid. The flocks are closely packed and usually form lines during flight as opposed to a V-formation, however they have been observed to occasionally fly in V-formation.

In pair-bonded mates, the pairs stay close to each other. Often, the male keeps close proximity to his mate and protects her from predators and potential male rivals. Barnacle geese often breed colonially, so nests must be defended against close neighbors. Young adults tend to stay close to the adults in the flock, both while foraging and in flight.

Diet

The species is herbivorous and mainly feeds on grass, aquatic vegetation, or human agricultural crops.

Reproduction

Barnacle geese nest in quite closely packed colonies. The timing of nest establishment and egg laying varies from year to year according to snow conditions. In years with late snow melting reproduction can be poor.

The nest is a shallow depression that is lined with plant material and down, the outer rim of the nest is elevated. Nest-sites are reused year after year.

The four or five eggs that make up a clutch are white, though they often become a dirty yellow during the course of incubation, which lasts 24–25 days. Only the female incubates. But, the male always remains nearby and he actively protects the nest when the female leaves to graze. The families leave their nests immediately after the eggs hatch.

The young are self-feeding, eating lush vegetation in damp areas near freshwater pools. They are fledged after 40–45 days. The families remain together through the winter and until the spring migration. Barnacle geese are normally sexually mature at three years of age.

In the wild, barnacle geesemay live up to 25 years of age. In captivity where they are protected from predators and are provided sufficient food, they may live up to 30 years of age.

Incaptivity

When keeping this species, it is necessary to have a pool with water or a natural reservoir. The optimal ratio of the reservoir area to pasture is 20% water and 80% pasture. In summer, you can put a bathing tub with a minimum size of 1,5x1,5x0,3 m. The bath water will have to be changed as often as possible. Drinking water must be given separately. The enclosure for a couple must be at least 15 sq. m. The optimal height of grass in the pasture is 7.5 cm.

It is necessary to build a poultry house on the territory of the aviary. Geese will be able to hide in it from the cold and wind in the cold season. You need constantly to update the litter in the poultry house. For such bedding, you will need about 40 kg of dry straw (hay). It is important to replace the wet bedding in time. Otherwise, the plumage quickly becomes dirty and does not protect the bird from the cold.

The poultry house should be made of wood or mud. Humidity and drafts are not allowed in it. In the door for the staff, or directly in the wall of the poultry house, you need to cut one or two gate holes for birds. It is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of 0-2°C in the poultry house. Infrared lamps and electric oil heaters are suitable as heaters. Infrared lamps should be hung at a height of 1.5 m, electric fireplaces should be installed in front of the loopholes to block access to cold air. As a rule, the exits are not closed (except on very cold days and nights), so that the birds can freely walk from the enclosure to the room and back. In the center of the poultry house, you need to install a drinking bowl with electric heating, so that the water in it does not freeze even when the heaters are turned off. The room must be illuminated during the day with two incandescent lamps with a total power of 150 watts.

During the construction of a poultry house, it is very important to take into account that at least one square meter of floor space should be allocated for one adult goose. With a higher density, the room will quickly become polluted, and the air in it will stagnate. This can cause diseases of wild geese and significantly reduce their productivity. Once a year, you need to whitewash the walls with freshly slaked lime.

Aviaries of all types must be equipped with feeders, because green food on the ground is quickly trampled by the geese. This is also convenient from the point of view that birds can easily choose their favorite plants from all the abundance of various grasses with a large width of the feeder.

Geese eat natural grasses. You can add to herbs: wheat grains, waterfowl pellets, and chicken feed. If there is not enough grass on the pasture, it is necessary to bring mown fresh grass. In winter, you can feed sliced vegetables, especially good to give cabbage and salads. Not averse to eating worms, insects and shellfish sometimes.

During nesting, males often become aggressive, so it is better to separate the nesting couple from other birds.

 

 

Вы будете перенаправлены через
  секунд на сайт