Red-breasted goose  (Branta ruficollis)

Range

Breeding on the Taimyr, Gydan and Yamal peninsulas of Russia, the majority of the population of red-breasted geese migrate through Bulgaria and Romania to the Black Sea for winter. Small numbers winter in Ukraine, or in Greece if it is particularly cold. Until the 1950s, most red-breasted geese wintered in Azerbaijan, but the habitat is no longer suitable (2).

View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Habitat

Red-breasted geese nest in tundra, and less often, in open parts of shrub tundra, where high and dry areas are favoured, such as steep river banks, rocky slopes, rocky crags and gullies. When not breeding, red breasted geese are found in steppe habitats, where they feed on agricultural land and drink from coastal lakes. During winter, red-breasted geese also roost on lakes, or in remote wetlands (8).

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