White-Fronted Goose Diet and Size: Feeding Habits, Predators, and Measurements
There are two types of white-fronted geese that come to the UK during the winter to escape the harsh conditions in their native lands. They are known as the Russian or European White-Fronted Goose and the Greenland White-Fronted Goose.
As you can probably tell from their names, the Russian white-fronted geese breed in western Russia while the Greenland white-fronted geese breed in Greenland. They look similar apart from the colour of their bills.
Russian white-fronted geese have a pink bill whereas the greenland white-fronted geese have an orange bill. Keep reading to find out more about these interesting birds.
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The Dietary Habits Of The White-Fronted Goose
White-fronted geese choose their habitats based on the abundance of food found in those areas. They need lots of food to help increase their body weight to facilitate their long 3,700 mile (6,000 kilometre) migrations.
They increase their abdomen size by filling it with enough fat to fuel their journey. This means their internal organs have to decrease in size to allow the large amount of fat to form.
What Does A White-Fronted Goose Eat?
White-fronted geese are primarily herbivores and eat mainly grasses, seeds and grains and berries. Having said that, they are known to eat molluscs and aquatic insects during the breeding season.
During winter, they become strictly herbivorous and are known to eat farmers’ crops including soy beans, rice and other grain crops. Once the weather becomes too bad and food sources become more scarce they switch to eating grass and other newly sprouting plants.
These sprouting plants include clover, buttercups, foxtails, dandelions and other plants including rye grasses and marsh grass species.
What To Feed A Baby White-Fronted Goose?
Both parents feed their offspring a diet of mainly molluscs, aquatic insects and worms, as well as any insects that can be found locally. The younglings from previous matings the year before are often still within the family groups and help to feed the freshly hatched chicks.
With the parents showing the yearlings where and how to hunt for food as well as guiding them away from any predators or danger. These young will typically stay with their parents until they reach around 1 to 2 years of age.
They reach sexual maturity when they are around the age of 3. At that point they leave their parents and form their own family groups.
Breeding Habits Of White-Fronted Geese
Once white-fronted geese reach the age of sexual maturity they search for a mate and then the female builds a scrape nest and lays her eggs.
Do White-Fronted Geese Mate For Life?
Like all geese species, white-fronted geese are monogamous and mate for life. They are a very family orientated species with the young staying with their parents at least until the following breeding season and beyond.
In many cases, the young will even take their mates along with their parents when migrating to the breeding or winter grounds in subsequent years.
The Size & Weight Of White-Fronted Geese
Now let’s look at the size and weight of these majestic birds in order to make identification easier. White-fronted geese have a white band at the bottom of their bill which is why they’re called white-fronted geese.
Males and females share the same plumage but males are typically larger than females. They typically have light brown necks, backs and heads and their rears are darker brown with white feather tips.
They have a white belly with black bars and orange legs and feet. You can differentiate between the Russian and the Greenland species by the colour of the bill, which is orange in the Greenland species and pink in the Russian.
How Much Does A White-Fronted Goose Weigh?
These birds are medium sized geese and weigh an average of between 1.9 to 2.5 kg. Which is around the same size as a Glaucous gull, with the male typically being larger than the female.
Their weight increases in the weeks leading up to migration as they increase their fat content to facilitate their long flights to and from the breeding grounds.
How Big Is A White-Fronted Goose?
White-fronted geese are around 65 to 78 cm in length with a wingspan of around 130 to 165 cm. Which is around the same size as the Pink-Footed Goose .
As well as being roughly the same size as the Egyptian Goose and slightly smaller than the Greylag Goose.
Are White-Fronted Geese Under Threat?
In the UK the white-fronted goose is Red listed by the UK Birds of Conservation Concern even though there are an estimated 15,000 that overwinter in the UK.
However, they are considered as of ”least concern” by both the Species of European Conservation Concern (SECC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Like most species, white-fronted geese do face the threat of predation which accounts for many of their losses.
What Eats A White-Fronted Goose?
White-fronted geese are under threat of predation mainly during the breeding season. They will often lose eggs and younglings as well as chicks to predators.
These predators include;
- Gulls
- Owls
- Ravens
- Eagles
- Bears
- Wolves
- Foxes
They try to combat attacks by predators by breeding in large colonies and bandying together to ward off would-be predators. Typically the yearlings help to keep foxes and other predators away from the nests while the parents are out sourcing food.
Where Can I See White-Fronted Geese In The UK?
You can often see white-fronted geese during the winter months in the north and west of Britain (Greenland species) and further south (Russian species) Typically in areas like Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Dyfed and the Welsh borders.
They prefer coastal, wetlands and grasslands but can also sometimes be found in farmland habitats. You’re more likely to see white-fronted geese from Greenland in the north and west of Britain and Ireland during winter months with an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 arriving every October and staying until April.
With Russian white-fronted geese typically found during these same months (October to April) in the south and east of Britain. However, the Russian species are rarer with around 1,500 to 2,000 found overwintering in the UK.
SEE ALSO: Avocet Vs Greenshank: Key Differences Explained
Frequently Asked Questions
The average size of a white-fronted goose is around 65 to 78 cm long with a wingspan of around 130 to 165 cm and weighing around 1.9 to 2.5 kg. The males of the species tend to be slightly larger than the females.
White-fronted geese eat a diet mainly consisting of marsh grasses, rice and soybean crops as well as berries. During the breeding season they are known to eat aquatic plants, insects, molluscs and other invertebrates.
The main difference between Russian and Greenland white-fronted geese is the colour of their bills. Russian white-fronted geese have a pink bill whereas the greenland white-fronted geese have an orange bill.
