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Brant

Branta bernicla Order ANSERIFORMES - Family ANATIDAE - Subfamily Anserinae
Summary Detailed
For complete Life History Information on this species, visit Birds of North America Online.

Brant, adult, pale-bellied form
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Brant, adult, pale-bellied form
About the photographs
Brant, black form
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Brant, black form

Brant, juvenile, pale-bellied form
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Brant, juvenile, pale-bellied form
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  1. Description
  2. Sound
  3. Other Names
  4. Full detailed species account

An abundant small goose of the ocean shores, the Brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra and winters along both coasts. The Brant along the Atlantic have light gray bellies, while those off the Pacific Coast have black bellies and were at one time considered a separate species.

Description

  • Medium to small goose.
  • Black head, neck, and chest.
  • White, partly broken collar.

  • Size: 56-66 cm (22-26 in)
  • Weight: 1200-1800 g (42.36-63.54 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

A soft, throaty rolling "cr-r-r-rk."

»listen to songs of this species

Other Names

Bernache cravant (French)
Branta negra (Spanish)
Brent Goose (British), Black Brant (western form) (English)

Sources used to construct this page:

  1. Bellrose, F. C. 1976. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA.
  2. Reed, A., D. H. Ward, D. V. Derksen, and J. S. Sedinger. 1998. Brant (Branta bernicla). In The Birds of North America, No. 337 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

 
 
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