Geese- ORDER: Anseriformes
- FAMILY: Anatidae
Basic Description
With subtle gray and buff-pink plumage, a stubby bill, and bubblegum legs, the Pink-footed Goose is a cute bird that lives an extreme lifestyle. They are at home on the windswept tundra and remote cliffs of Iceland, Greenland, and Svalbard, where they breed. On migration and in winter they form huge flocks, thousands strong, in grasslands and crop fields of the United Kingdom and western Europe. They are rare visitors to the eastern United States and Canada, where they tend to fall in with groups of Canada Geese.
More ID InfoFind This Bird
Pink-footed Geese breed in very remote areas, where you may see a family group walking single file across windswept tundra. It may be a better bet to look for them on migration or during the winter. Look for large flocks foraging in grasslands or agricultural fields and resting on lakes or coastal estuaries in the United Kingdom and western Europe. In the U.S. and Canada, the best way to find this rarity is to diligently scan flocks of Canada Geese from fall through spring.
Other Names
- Ánsar Piquicorto (Spanish)
- Oie à bec court (French)