Wild Wednesday – Brent Goose
The Brent Goose is a small, dark goose, similar in size to a mallard, with a black head, neck and grey-brown back, and either a pale or dark belly, depending on the species. Adults have a small white neck patch. The black beak is short, stubby, and slightly upturned. Typical lifespan is 11 years.
Brent geese are common winter visitors to coastal areas, arriving through September. Most birds depart in April but some flocks remain into May.
The pale-bellied subspecies, which tend to winter in Jersey, Ireland and Northumberland, has come from Svalbard and Greenland; whereas the dark-bellied geese you might see in the Solent are most likely from Russia.
There are different subspecies of Brent geese, with the most common being the Atlantic or dark-bellied Brent goose, which breeds in Arctic regions and migrates to milder coastal areas for winter.
These geese are highly migratory, often travelling long distances between their breeding grounds and wintering sites. They feed on eelgrass, seaweed, and other coastal vegetation, and they are often found in salt marshes, mudflats, and estuaries. They are social birds, typically seen in large flocks, especially during migration.
Their name 'brent' derives from the Norse word for burnt - in reference to their charcoal coloured upperparts. The scientific name, Branta bernicla hrota, comes from the fact that the brent goose used to be considered the same species as the barnacle goose, hence 'bernicla'.
Brent geese eat seagrass, which grows in the sea. You'll sometimes see them 'bottoms-up' in the water feeding on this tasty plant just like a duck. When the seagrass runs out, they move onto fields to eat the grass.
It is assumed they mate for life, producing one clutch of three to five eggs. Females incubate the eggs, whilst the male will guard the nest and provide food. Once hatched, the chicks will follow the parents around for 40 to 50 days before fledging into the wider family group.
They are a protected species in many areas, and their populations are closely monitored to ensure their conservation, especially since some populations face threats like habitat loss and environmental changes.
Read more here: Brent goose | The Wildlife Trusts