The Red-Breasted Goose belongs to the Branta genus (Black Geese). It has declined in numbers over the last few decades. Over 80% of the population roost during the winter at just five sites, with nearby feeding areas threatened by changes in land use. These Geese breed in northern Siberia and often build their nests close to birds of prey such as the Snowy Owl, Peregrine, and Buzzard to keep themselves protected from predators such as the Arctic fox. During the 1950s the high use of pesticides used resulted in the decline of the Peregrine that helped protect these geese during the breeding season.

The Red-breasted Goose has dark sooty black upperparts, neck, face, and throat with white patches between the eye & beak, white stripes behind the eye & neck, white band encircling the forebody, and distinctive chestnut-red on cheeks, foreneck, and breast. Tail coverts are white and the tail black. Legs, feet, and beak are grey-black. Both sexes look similar.

Size

Typical Adult is 53-56cm (21-22in).

Food

- Grasses, wheat, barley, and maize.

Habitat/Range

Tundra, wooded tundra, and lakes in northern Siberia. Winters around the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, Iran & Iraq and the Black Sea in Romania, Bulgaria & Turkey.

Breeding

From early June.

Eggs

3 to 8 (creamy-white with greenish-tinge).

River Cottage's collection of Geese changes regularly. Please visit us regularly to keep up-to-date with our flock

£550 per pair

Click the button above to add a pair of Red Breasted Gooses to 'My Enquiries' which is available at the top of each page, and similar to a 'basket' on an ecommerce website!

Note: All birds are subject to availability and we reserve the right to alter prices as the market and our costs dictate. Viewing is strictly by appointment. Please contact us for futher details

+44 (0)1223 845255
+44 (0)7980 386693

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+44 (0)1223 845255 +44 (0)7980 386693