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| Skeins of Pink-footed Geese migrating overhead are a familiar sight in many parts of Britain in October and November |
THE Pink-footed Goose is far and away the commonest goose species to be found in Britain during winter.
According to a report on wintering waterbirds in this month's British Birds journal, its tally is likely to be about 440,000.
Next in number are two species, the Greylag Goose and the Canada Goose, many of which are present not just in winter but throughout the rest of the year.
The report's authors suggest that some goose species, notably Pink-footed, are in decline, but they remain widespread in suitable habitat.
The numbers:
Brent Goose (dark-bellied): 96,000
Brent Goose (light-bellied): 3,800
Brent Goose (nearctic light-bellied): 2,200
Canada Goose: 180,000
Barnacle Goose (naturalised): 5,100
Barnacle Goose (Greenland): 48,000
Barnacle Goose (Svalbard): 34,000
Snow Goose: 75
Greylag Goose (British/Irish): 180,00
Greylag Goose (Icelandic): 59,000
Taiga Bean Goose: 220
Tundra Bean Goose: 300
Pink-footed Goose: 440,000
White-fronted Goose (European):1,500
White-fronted Goose (Greenland): 10,000
Egyptian Goose: 11,000
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| It is always worth checking flocks of Brent Geese in case one includes a Red-breasted Goose - a bird so rare in Britain that it is not included in the register |
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