Red-breasted Goose

Branta ruficollis (Pallas, 1769)

53–56 cmLength1.2 kgWeight

This brightly colored, unmistakable small goose has a red breast.

Busiest months: January–February · Most records: United Kingdom, Hungary, Bulgaria

Looks like Brant Goose

Vulnerable

How to identify

Field marks

Breast red, appearing dark at a distance

Male, female and young

Male slightly heavier than female.

Voice

Calls include quacking notes, with hissing when provoked.

Similar species

Brant Goose

This species is conspicuous, but surprisingly hard to find among flocks of Brant Goose; the red breast appears dark at a distance.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January–February · Most records: United Kingdom, Hungary, Bulgaria

Red-breasted Goose has been recorded at 234 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 36 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

United Kingdom Hungary Bulgaria Sweden India Netherlands Germany Greece

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis) is a brightly marked species of goose in the genus Branta from Eurasia. It is currently classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Red-breasted Goose?

The Red-breasted Goose is about 53–56 cm long and weighs around 1.2 kg.

Where does the Red-breasted Goose live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: low Arctic tundra of Yamal, Gydan and Taymyr peninsulas (northwestern Siberia). It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Hungary and Bulgaria.