The Brent goose, also known as the brant goose, is a medium-sized goose with a thick neck and short, stubby bill. There are three recognised sub-species: the dark-bellied brent goose (B. b. bernicla) which breeds in Siberia and Europe, the pale-bellied brent goose (B. b. hrota) native to Canada and Greenland, and the black brant (B. b. nigricans), which inhabits northeast Siberia and northern Canada.
Both the dark bellied brent goose and pale bellied brent goose migrate to the he UK for winter, while the black brant is a rare but regular vagrant. A potential fourth subspecies, the grey-bellied brent goose, has yet to receive formal taxonomic status and may be a hybrid of the pale-bellied brent goose and the black brant.
Wintering birds: 102,000
Family: Ducks, Geese, And Swans
The adult dark-bellied brent goose has dark grey-brown upperparts with finely edged pale feather margins. Its flight feathers and undertail coverts are black. The underparts show a dark grey-brown belly and flanks, also edged with pale tones on the upper flanks, while the breast is black. The vent, undertail coverts, and rectrices are white, with the outermost tail feathers also white.
The head and neck are black, with a distinctive white patch on the sides of the upper neck. The bill is black, the eyes are dark brown, and the legs and feet are also black. Males and females are similar in appearance.
Juvenile brent geese resemble adults but have duller plumage, with black areas appearing browner. Their upperparts have more noticeable white fringes, and their flanks are lighter, with prominent pale edges forming faint bars. Unlike adults, juveniles lack the white patch on the neck.
B. b. hrota (the pale-bellied brent goose) has browner upperparts and paler flanks, which are a mix of pale brown and whitish tones. Its head and neck are black, and it has a small white patch on each side of the neck.
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Brent geese breed between June and August, producing one brood per season. They are monogamous, and nest in solitary pairs or in loose colonies. Both the male and female participate in constructing the nest, which is typically located near water. The nest is built in a shallow depression in the ground or on a mound of moss and is lined with softer materials such as grass and down.
The female lays 3–5 smooth, slightly glossy, creamy white eggs, which she incubates alone for 24–26 days, while the male remains nearby to provide protection. Goslings are covered in grey down on their upperparts and white down on their underparts. They leave the nest shortly after hatching and fledge at about six weeks of age.
The young geese stay with their parents as a family unit until the following breeding season, migrating together as a group. They reach sexual maturity at around two years old.
Brent geese eat mainly vegetation such as aquatic plants, moss, grasses, and lichen. During winter they supplement their diet with algae, seaweed, and eelgrass.
Brent geese arrive in the UK in October and depart in April. They can be found around much of the coast in estuaries, salt marshes, muddy creeks, pastures, parks, and arable land.
Brent geese got their name from the Old Norse word ‘brandgás’ meaning ‘burnt goose’. In some countries they are known as brant geese.
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The last 2 years, in Mid September 2020/21. Ive visited Mostyn near Prestatyn North Wales. Can you please tell me what are the breed of Geese that fly over from the land to the Dee estuary in the morning and back in the evening. Have they come here to breed ? or do they stay here ?