Barnacle Goose

A Barnacle Goose is a fun bird to see while bird watching. Below are some tips to help you identify Barnacle Geese. We have also put together a list of fun Barnacle Goose t-shirts, Barnacle Goose bird patches, birdhouses, bird feeders, binoculars, stickers, and other fun bird-watching items.

About Barnacle Geese

The Barnacle Goose is an attractive medium-sized Goose that can be found on Arctic lands with infrequent sightings along the North American east coast.

Description and Identification

Barnacle Goose has a short neck, rounded head, medium-sized sociable goose with a cream white face and breast. The white feathers add to its beauty and cover a great portion of the face. The feet and the bill is black colored and the bill is short. The belly of the barnacle is white.  The plumage is common in both males and females. Talking specifically of the dimensions the medium-sized Barnacle Goose is about 55-70 cm long and if one talks of the wings span it varies from 140-135 cm. They are usually in the packs and the long lines with some yapping or with a noisy chorus of barking sounds.

Barnacle Goose Color Pattern

It is identified by its white face and belly and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its wings are silver with white and black bars that appear shiny upon light reflection. This heavily contrasts with the large black tail, bill, and legs.

Barnacle Goose Size

The Barnacle Goose is a medium-sized Goose that measures approximately 55-70 centimeters in length. They have a wingspan of 130-145 centimeters and weigh 2.7-4.9 pounds.

Barnacle Goose Behavior

They build their nests high up on cliff sides to protect their food from predators. The breeding season is dependent on how late in the year the snow melts. The later it melts, the later the breeding. The adults leave the nest immediately after the egg hatches, leaving the offspring to fend for themselves and as a result, they begin to fly at only three days old in search of food. They form closely packed colonies and migrate in flocks together.

Barnacle Goose Diet

Barnacle Goose is mainly the herbivores of birds. So, being from the herbivores category the food habits and the foods that the diet of a Barnacle Goose include are mainly the grasses, aquatic vegetations, and agricultural lands. They sometimes also feed on agricultural grain and certain kinds of vegetation. If one talks about the vegetation of the Barnacle Goose on the vegetation grounds they mainly fed on the vegetation that is available in the tundra region. They also found occupying some of the farmlands at times.

They are predominantly vegetarian feeding on grasses and coastal plants. However, during the winter months when plants become scarce, they tend to also eat insects, shellfish, and mollusks.

Barnacle Goose Habitat

The habitat of the Barnacle Goose mainly includes the fresh farmlands and wetlands near the coastal regions of the Europe arctic. Suburban farmlands are also among the grazing points of Barnacle Goose. The wild birds are mainly found during the winters. A small attractive Barnacle Goose can also be found in northeastern Greenland east to Serbia.  Their preference mainly includes the tinder vegetations, the coastal dunes, etc. And, if one talks of the Canada Goose, the Barnacle Goose has no brown color on their bodies at all. Barnacle Geese typically appear to breed by the northeast Greenland coast, Norway, Novaya Zemlya, and Russia.

Range and Migration

The Barnacle Goose can be categorized as one of the smallest geese and it mainly constitutes 4 kinds of populations with various winters and breeding grounds. The 4 main populations of these kinds include the Greenland population, Syallbard population, Russian population, and Novaya Zemlya population. The breeding and wintering grounds differ from each other. The Greenland population has its breeding ground on ice-free coasts. In case of worsen weather conditions, they head to North Scotland. Svalbard breeds on the islands of the syllabary archipelago. The North-Western coast of arctic Russia is the breeding spot of the Russian population. Lastly, Novaya Zemlya has archipelago islands as their breeding grounds and move to coastal regions of the Netherlands for migration.

Barnacle Goose Lifecycle

The female lays an average of 4 to 6 eggs and incubates them for 24 to 25 days. Until the gosling reaches the age of 45 days, the female goose rears feed and takes care of them. In order for the young goslings to garner enough sustenance for the long migratory flight to Ireland, they need to feed endlessly. The Barnacle Goose has a lifespan of up to 25 years.

Nesting

The female Barnacle Goose is the one who built nests usually hundreds of feet up to avoid their nests from predators. The nest of these species are made of mud and also some kind of dead foliage. The females lay eggs and incubate them for about 24 to 26 days. Before the female lays eggs, the male is responsible for protecting the best and the female. During the process of nest building, both males and females lose about 30 to 40% of their body weight.
Lastly, the young after their birth are responsible for feeding themselves.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Barnacle Geese

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Barnacle Geese are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Barnacle Goose Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Barnacle Goose. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders for Barnacle Geese

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Best Bird Houses for Barnacle Geese

There are many types of birdhouses. Building a birdhouse is always fun but can be frustrating. These 4 birdhouses have become our favorites. Getting a birdhouse for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. We spent a little extra money on these birdhouses but they have been worth the higher price and look great.