Pink-footed Goose

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

About Pink-footed Geese

The Pink-footed Goose (Anser Brachyrhynchus) is a migratory bird found in regions in West Europe. It breeds in Iceland, Greenland, and Svalbard and winters in the Northwest parts of Europe. Locals often refer to this goose as Pinkfoot due to its distinct pink feet.

Description and Identification

These geese are medium-sized at a length of 24 – 30 inches with a wingspan of 53 – 67
inches. They have short bills that are bright pink in the middle with a black base and tip,
colors further highlighted by their pink feet. They have medium gray-to-brown bodies with
their heads and necks flaunting a richer, chocolate brown. They have white rumps and vents
and a gray tail with a broad white tip. The plumes of their wings look similar to Graylag
Geese, with pale bluish-gray upper wing coverts and flight feathers that look blackish-gray.
They are particularly vocal when in flight with high-pitched honking calls that seem
deafening.

Pink-footed Goose Color Pattern

The Pink-footed goose’s plumage color varies from a dark brown to a gray-brown. The color on their head and neck is richer than that one spread all over their body. They get their name from their pink feet and short bill.

Pink-footed Goose Size

The Pink-footed goose is a medium sized bird whose relative size for both sexes is:

• Length: 61-76cm
• Wingspan: 1.5m
• Weight: 2.5kg

Pink-footed Goose Behavior

• When flying in large skeins, the Pink-footed goose becomes vocal producing high pitched ear splitting calls.

Pink-footed Goose Food

These birds are almost entirely vegetarian, with most of their diet consisting of leaves,
stems, roots, berries, and seed heads of sedges, mosses, and lichens during the breeding
seasons. Many populations feed their young high-protein grass, shoots, and rhizomes from
cultivated lands. Catkins are also frequently consumed at open meadows. Their diet takes a
slight shift to grains, vegetables, potatoes, and grasses during the winter. Wheat and barley
are popular choices among grains while potatoes are the most favored among root crops,
although they consume carrots and beets as well if available.

The Pink-footed Goose is a herbivore described as an opportunistic feeder. During their breeding season, their diet is made up of tundra plants, berries, mosses, leaves, and sedges. In the winter, they mostly graze on potato, sugar beet, oilseed rape, and different types of grasses.

Pink-footed Goose Habitat

Pink-footed Geese can be found breeding in outcrops, crags, gorges, and on islands in
the Arctic tundra. They visit damp sedge meadows in valley bottoms to forage and might be
spotted nesting in close proximity to seabird colonies. They tend to stay near the coast and
keep their breeding sites up to 700m above sea level. Winters take them towards coastal
estuaries and flat agricultural lands, with a clear preference for improved or fertilized
grasslands. They may occasionally visit cereal fields as well. Other areas that they frequent
during the winters are situated at saltmarshes and other areas of the natural vegetation on
coastal tundra or in the uplands.

Pink-footed geese are found in crags, riverbanks, and hummocks surrounded by a lot of vegetation. From the Month of March all through to May, Pink-footed geese breed in the open tundra of Iceland, Greenland, and Svalbard. In the winter, they migrate to the coastal marshes of the UK, Denmark, and Belgium. It scarcely found in Iceland socializing with winter geese such as White-fronts and Graylag during winter.

Range and Migration

Pink-footed Geese are migratory birds that are found nesting along eastern Greenland,
Iceland, and Svalbard. These birds migrate towards north-western Europe during the winter
and are found along with Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and western Denmark. The two
discrete populations of the species are mainly centered in Greenland and Iceland, and in
Svalbard. The populations breeding in Greenland and Iceland winter in regions around Great
Britain while the Svalbard populations winter in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway.
Rare cases of vagrancy have been observed when individual birds have headed the wrong
way and reached eastern Canada.

Pink-footed Goose Life Cycle

At the age of three years, the Pink-footed goose reaches its sexual maturity and begins to breed. Females lay 3-6 eggs and nest them for 25 to 27 days. The male goose stands guard as she nests the eggs. The young goslings follow their parents around until they are able to take flight at 55 to 60 days old.

Pink-footed Goose Nesting

Pink-footed Geese form monogamous ties that might last a lifetime, but there is limited data
on which member of the pair selects the nest sites. Sites are typically situated on cliffs close
to glaciers or on islets in lakes in order to provide protection from mammalian predators.
They are placed on the ground and selected in areas where the snow has already melted by
the time of their arrival. These nests are placed within colonies of other geese up to 10 pairs,
with a few metres separating each nest. The nests themselves are shallow depressions on
the ground that are thoroughly lined with plant matter and down feathers.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At 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 Pink-footed Geese

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Pink-footed 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.

Pink-footed Geese T-shirts

If you love the Pink-footed Goose you should purchase a Bird Watching Academy & Camp T-shirt. To help support bird conservation we donate 10 percent to bird conservation activities.

Pink-footed Geese Iron On Patches

Kids, Youth, and Adults love to collect our Bird Watching Academy & Camp iron-on patches. Our bird-watching patches help you keep track of the birds you have seen and identified. You can also display the patches on our Bird Watching Academy & Camp banners.

The Pink-footed Goose is a great iron-on patch to start your collection with. The patches are durable and can be sewn on or ironed on to just about anything.

Pink-footed Geese Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Pink-footed 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 Pink-footed Geese

There are many types of bird feeders. Here are our favorite bird feeders for your backyard. We use all of these bird feeders currently. Kids will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. Using this collection of bird feeders will provide a wide variety and many types of birds.

Best Bird Houses for Pink-footed 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.