Other Geese
In essence this ID card covers the common ‘black’ geese in the genus Branta, plus the naturalised Egyptian Goose, included for good measure. The long-naturalised and very large Canada Goose is a widely distributed bird, while Barnacles are somewhat localised and the Brent Geese subspecies are found at different coastal sites in the UK.
Head, neck and breast pattern
The Branta geese are not difficult to separate with good views of the front end. Canadas have a white chin patch and pale breast, Barnacles have white faces (with a dark lore line) and Brents have wholly dark heads, necks and breasts, apart from a small white ‘collar’ mark on the neck.
Tail pattern
Note that most of these geese have largely black tails. However the Brent Geese have tails which look pretty white from a distance. So, even very distant flying Brent Geese look black at the front end and white at the rear end. Indeed, Brent Geese, being not much bigger than Mallards, can look like black ducks with white tails!