Pink-footed Goose Life History

Habitat

Pink-footed Geese breed in remote areas in Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard up to 2,300 feet above sea level. They nest on grassy hummocks on arctic tundra and also on cliffs, rocky outcrops, and in river gorges. The habitat at tundra nesting sites often changes rapidly during the short breeding season, starting as snow-covered ground, followed by shallow standing water, and then transitioning to boggy grassland. In winter this species uses coastal estuaries, freshwater lakes, and agricultural areas. Historically it fed in large saltmarshes, but now typically uses grasslands and crop fields for winter foraging.

Food

Pink-footed Geese eat plants throughout the year. Icelandic breeders target different foods as they move from the coast (grasses) to mid-elevation areas (horsetail shoots and underground stems of alpine bistort) to breeding sites (willow leaves and catkins). As summer progresses, they switch to grasses and sedges and then to high-energy berries as they prepare for migration. In the winter, Pink-footed Geese forage primarily in grasslands and agricultural fields. These geese feed on crops including barley and wheat stubble, potatoes, carrots, beets, peas, clover, and more. Pink-footed Geese forage mainly by grazing in fields and other open areas, feeding in water much less than the larger Graylag Goose.

Nesting

Nest Placement

Pink-footed Geese build their nests either on grassy hummocks on arctic tundra, or on rocky surfaces such as outcrops, pinnacles in gorges, or cliff ledges. The geese choose tundra nesting sites that are snow-free when they begin construction and are high enough to withstand flooding from later snowmelt.

Nest Description

Females build a cup nest on the ground using grasses, sedges, and other plants. They add extensive amounts of down feathers during and after egg laying and may also include droppings in the nest. The overall nest averages 12–16 inches in diameter and 3–4 inches in height; inner cup dimensions are 8–10 inches in diameter and 2–4 inches deep. These geese frequently reuse nest sites, resulting in permanent nest rims that build up to 10 inches in height.

Nesting Facts

Behavior

Pink-footed Geese are monogamous, forming lifelong pair bonds when they are 2–3 years old. The male defends the female, the nest, and the pair’s territory from other males while the female is nesting. Both parents care for the chicks after they hatch, and family groups remain together until the next breeding season. When chicks are 10-20 days old, families merge into larger groups, sometimes with hundreds of birds. Adults also molt their flight feathers at this time. With both chicks and adults flightless, these groups often walk long distances together.

Outside of the breeding season, this species forms large flocks consisting of family groups, other adults, and nonbreeders. Pink-footed Geese tend to form single-species flocks rather than mixed-species flocks. In the fall, flocks of 5,000 birds are common in the United Kingdom. During the winter months, multiple flocks converge on communal roosting sites each night, forming huge groups that can number nearly 30,000 birds.

Conservation

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists Pink-footed Goose as Least Concern. This is based on BirdLife International’s 2016 assessment, which notes this goose’s very large range and a very large population size that appears to be increasing. An early-2000s estimate of the total Pink-footed Goose population was 350,000 individuals.

Despite their remote nesting grounds, Pink-footed Geese can be affected by many human activities. Offshore wind farms are a concern for migrating geese, but a 2012 radar study suggested that Pink-footed Geese have generally learned to avoid these hazards. Possible oil, hydroelectric, and mining projects in Greenland and Iceland have the potential to increase disturbance in important breeding and molting areas. Conversely, this species might benefit from climate change—warmer winters can contribute to increased survival, earlier springs result in more food availability during migration, and warming temperatures could result in more breeding habitat on Svalbard in the future.

Credits

BirdLife International (2023). IUCN Red List for birds.

Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1977). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 1. Ostrich to Ducks. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

Fox, A. D., B. S. Ebbinge, C. Mitchell, T. Heinicke, T. Aarvak, K. Colhoun, P. Clausen, S. Dereliev, S. Faragó, K. Koffijberg, H. Kruckenberg, M. J. J. E. Loonen, J. Madsen, J. Mooij, P. Musil, L. Nilsson, S. Pihl, and H. van der Jeugd (2010). Current estimates of goose population sizes in western Europe, a gap analysis and an assessment of trends. Ornis Svecica 20:115–127.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (2022). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2. https://www.iucnredlist.org.

Jonsson, L. (1992). Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East. Christopher Helm, London.

Madge, S., and H. Burn (1988). Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA, USA.

Reeber, S. (2015). Waterfowl of North America, Europe, and Asia: An Identification Guide. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.

Svensson, L., K. Mullarney, and D. Zetterström (2009). Collins Bird Guide. Second edition. HarperCollins, London, UK.

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