Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Anser ("goose") caerulescens caerulescens ("ceruleanish")

Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens) at Deeping Lakes, Lincolnshire - January 2026

Featured Subspecies: Unknown
Weight: 2-3kg  /  Length: 64-79cm  /  Wingspan: 135-165cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A species that breeds on the Arctic tundra of North America, just tipping over into Siberia, it is notable for coming in two morphs; the snow morph seen here has the bird as entirely white plumaged except the black tail, while the "blue" morph  have only white heads on otherwise dark grey bodies. While this bird was presumably a vagrant as it was associating with whooper swans, typically the Wintering range of Snow Geese is various pockets in the USA and Mexico.

Related Species: 
Order: Anseriformes 
Family: Anatidae 
Genus: Anser
SUBSPECIES: A. c. caerulescens, A. c. atlanticus

 
- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM 
 Rare vagrant and also feral breeding species
-  One bird seen at Deeping Lakes in January 2026 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Tundra Bean Goose (Anser serrirostris)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Anser ("goose") serrirostris ("saw billed")

Tundra Bean Goose (subspecies A. s. rossicus) with two Greylag Geese at Warnham LNR, West Sussex  - February 2015

Featured Subspecies: Anser serrirostris rossicus 

Weight: 1.7-4kg  /  Length: 68-90cm  /  Wingspan: 140-174cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Species like the Tundra Bean Goose are examples of where a project like this gets a little complicated.  Classically, there was only considered to be one species of Bean Goose (up to the point of including the Pink-Footed Goose too) but subsequent research has found that even one the Pink-foot is removed, the species is easily divisible by two - the birds that nest in bogs in the subarctic Taiga and birds which nest in the Subarctic Tundra.  There are also physical differences between the two - for instance, the Tundra has a shorter beak.  But some authorities split the two up (such as the American Ornithologists Union) and some keep it as a single species (such as the British Union of Ornithologists) .  While I could easily just go with the BOU list, I don't implicitly assume them to be correct over any other list, so I'm going to count it as a separate species.

As to the bird itself, it is a small grey goose, fairly similar to the Pink-foot and Taiga Bean but with a shorter bill.  It is also smaller generally than the Taiga Bean.  They are found scattered throughout the UK in Winter, often with other grey geese but, unlike the Taiga Bean Goose, do not have any specific regular Wintering sites.  This individual was accompanying a flock of Greylag Geese that were grazing on the Golf Course adjacent to Warnham LNR in Horsham.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anser
Subspecies: A. s. rossicus, A. s. serrirostris

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare and scatter winter visitor - around 320 individuals.

 - A single vagrant bird seen with a flock of Greylag Goose at Warnham LNR in February 2015 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Anser ("Goose") brachyrhynchus ("short bill")

Flock of Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) Onager Hill, Norfolk - March 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 1.5-3.5kg  /  Length: 60-75cm  /  Wingspan: 135-170cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Pink-footed Goose is probably one of the best examples in the UK of a bird that could be described as locally common.  It visits Britain in the Winter in huge numbers in the areas surrounding some of the major estuary areas such as the Wash, but outside of these it occurs as a vagrant, often associated with other geese species.  This particular one for instance was associating with a large flock of Greylag Geese - a common species in the UK which it's worth checking the flocks of for other grey geese in Winter.  The birds that visit the UK have bred in Greenland and Iceland, while a second population from Svalbard Winters in the Netherlands and Denmark.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anser
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A locally numerous Winter visitor to certain sites - rare elsewhere.

 - Various locations around The Wash, a single bird at Eyebrooke Reservoir in November 2014. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)

OTHER NAMES: Greater White-fronted Goose, Greater Whitefront, Specklebelly
Latin Etymology: Anser ("goose") albifrons ("white-forehead")

Adult White-fronted Goose (subspecies A. a. flaviostris - "Greenland White-Fronted Goose") at Keswick, Cumbria - April 2011

Featured Subspecies: Anser albifrons flaviostris
Weight: 1.9-3.3kg  /  Length: 64-81cm  /  Wingspan: 130-165cm
UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

White-fronted geese are a migrant species which turn up in various regions of the UK in Winter in large groups. This particular bird is a bit of an oddity - it was found with a mixed group of other geese grazing on a sheep field, on its own, outside normal wintering sites. It is of the Greenland race rather than the Siberian one - it can be identified by the orange rather than pink beak. Ordinarily however the best places to look for these birds would be in established Wintering sites.

Related Species:

Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anser
Featured Subspecies: A. a. flavirostris, A. a. albifrons, A. a. elgasi, A. a. gambelli, A. a. sponsa

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A local but fairly abundant Winter migrant (2,400 birds of subsoecies albifrons, 13,000 of subspecies flaviostris)

 - A single bird seen at Keswick in 2011 associating with Greylag Geese.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

OTHER NAMES: Grey Goose, Fen Goose, Wild Goose
Latin Etymology: Anser ("goose") anser ("goose")

  Adult Greylag Goose (subspecies A. a. anser) at Wicksteed Park, Kettering - January 2011

Featured Subspecies: Anser anser anser
Weight: 3300g  /  Length: 74-91cm  /  Wingspan: 147-180cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Greylag Goose is the ancestor of domestic geese, and, along with the Canada Goose, one of the UK's most common geese. Found very easily on a wide range of habitats as long as there is water and some degree of grazing nearby. Large and relatively bold, getting good views should be easy, particularly in places where they have learnt they are being fed. As much of the UK population is considered "feral", I'm unclear as to whether the Amber Status applies to all birds, or uniquely to the truly wild birds which live in parts of Scotland. 

Related Species:

Order: Anseriformes 

Family: Anatidae 

Genus: Anser
Subspecies: A. a. anser, A. a. rubrirostris 

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common breeding species (46,000 pairs) and Common Winter Visitor (228,000 birds)

 - Birds seen commonly at sites including Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes, Pitsford Reservoir, Ditchford Gravel Pits and Eyebrook Reservoir. Occassional flyover in Geddington.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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