Lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus)

Description

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Lesser white-fronted goose fact file

• Description
• Biology
• Range
• Habitat
• Status
• Threats
• Conservation
• Find out more
• Glossary
• References
• Print factsheet

Lesser white-fronted goose description

With a plump body, long neck, and wings that extend beyond the tip of the tail, the lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus) is distinguishable from other geese by its bright yellow eye-ring, round head and small, bright pink bill. The back, belly and sides are almost uniformly brown, but there is a white blaze on the face and the belly may have black patches in adults. The head and neck are both dark brown. Juveniles lack the white blaze and black belly patches ^{(2) (6)}.

Size

Length: 53 - 66 cm ⁽²⁾

Lesser white-fronted goose biology

In late May and early June, clutches of three to five eggs are laid and hatch two to three months later. The hatchlings learn to fly within a month. During the breeding season the lesser white-fronted goose eats the green stems and blooms of grasses and sedges, but on migration stopovers and through the winter, it consumes wheat and oat seeds ⁽⁶⁾. The call of this species is a rather squeaky kyu-yu-yu ⁽²⁾.

Lesser white-fronted goose range

The lesser white-fronted goose has three main sub-populations. The central Asian or Caspian population breeds in European Russia and central Asia and winters in the Black Sea region. The East Asian population breeds in eastern Siberia and winters in China. The smaller European population breeds in Norway and the Kola Peninsula, Russia and winters in Greece and Turkey ⁽⁷⁾.

Lesser white-fronted goose habitat

The lesser white-fronted goose breeds in regions with forest tundra surrounding bogs and lakes, and winters on grassland and lake shores ⁽⁷⁾.

Lesser white-fronted goose status

The lesser white-fronted goose is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List ⁽¹⁾ and is listed on Appendix I and II of the Convention on Migratory Species ⁽³⁾. It is also listed on Appendix I of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) ⁽⁴⁾, and Appendix II of the Bern Convention ⁽⁵⁾.

Lesser white-fronted goose threats

Following extensive hunting in Russia, China and Kazakhstan, numbers of the lesser white-fronted goose declined by between 30 and 49 percent in just ten years, between 1998 and 2008. The global population in 2008 was estimated to be between 28,000 and 33,000 individuals ⁽⁸⁾. This hunting pressure continues in these three countries, which are not party to the Convention on Migratory Species and so cannot be subjected to international action. As they hold responsibility for 95 percent of the lesser white-fronted goose population, it is crucial that Russia, China and Kazakhstan alter their hunting rules to benefit this species ⁽⁷⁾.

Lesser white-fronted goose conservation

Having signed Memorandums of Understanding with regard to the protection of other bird species occurring within their boundaries, it is hoped that Russia, China and Kazakhstan might be encouraged to alter the timing of hunting to ease the pressure on the lesser white-fronted goose. Ultimately, a ban on the hunting of all Anser species is necessary, as differentiation of goose species is difficult from a distance ⁽⁷⁾.

In 2008, an International Single Species Action Plan for the conservation of the Western Palearctic population of the lesser white-fronted goose was published. It outlines a number of actions that are required to stop and reverse the current declines observed in these populations ⁽⁸⁾. As the lesser white-fronted goose is a long-distance migrant, regularly crossing 22 countries, international cooperation will be integral to the conservation of this Vulnerable bird ⁽⁸⁾.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Find out more

For further information on the lesser white-fronted goose and its conservation see:

• African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement:
  http://www.unep-aewa.org/activities/working_groups/lwfg.htm
• Lesser White-fronted Goose Life Project:
  http://wwf.fi/lwfg

For more information on this and other bird species please see:

• BirdLife International:
  http://www.birdlife.org

Authentication

Authenticated (10/03/05) by BirdLife International.
http://www.birdlife.org

Glossary

Tundra

Treeless grassland between the icecap and the tree line of Arctic regions, with vegetation consisting of lichens, grasses, sedges and dwarf woody plants.

References

1. IUCN Red List (May, 2008)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. Peterson, R.T., Mountfort, G. and Hollom, P.A.D. (1993) A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. HarperCollins, London.
3. CMS (May, 2008)
   http://www.cms.int
4. AEWA (December, 2004)
   http://www.unep-aewa.org
5. Council of Europe: Bern Convention (December, 2004)
   http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/104.htm
6. BirdLife International (November, 2008)
   http://www.birdlife.org
7. CMS (2003) Report on the Status and Perspective of the Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus. UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK.
8. Jones, T., Martin, K., Barov, B. and Nagy, S. (2008) International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Western Palearctic Population of the Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus. AEWA Technical Series No.36, Bonn, Germany.