Family:
The lesser white-fronted goose is a small goose similar to the white-fronted goose, but with fewer bars on its upperparts, less black below, and a chunkier head, shorter neck, and smaller bill.
On the head, it has a white facial blaze on its forehead that curves back above the eye, and a yellow eye-ring. The small pink bill has a pale nail, and the legs and feet are bright orange.
Males and females are similar but the male is slightly larger and has a steeper and more angular forehead. They will hybridize with the white-fronted goose, particularly in captivity, but also sometimes in the wild.
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Lesser-white-fronted geese eat mainly plant matter such as grass, moss, shoots, leaves, and seeds.
The lesser white-fronted goose breeds in Siberia and Scandinavia, mainly north of the Arctic Circle. In winter they move south to southern Europe, India and Japan. They can be found on large lakes and rivers, salt steppes, farmland, and meadows.
They have suffered from a severe population decline over the last century. One hundred years ago, up to 100,000 birds could be found roosting on the dry-grass plains in Hungary during autumn migration. Today, the number stands at just 100.
