The Pink-footed Goose, or “pinkfoot” for short, is often mistaken for its close relatives, the Taiga and Tundra Bean Geese, but it has pink feet and legs.
They have brown heads, short black bills with a pink band in the middle, blue-gray backs and wings, light-brown throats, breasts, bellies with a barring pattern, white rumps, and pink legs and feet.
Males and females look similar, but juveniles are dark brown with a more distinct scaled pattern on their sides, flanks, and backs.
- Anser brachyrhynchus
- Length: 26 in (66 cm)
- Weight: 97.6 0z (2766 g)
- Wingspan: 53 – 67 in (135 – 170 cm)
Range
Pink-footed Geese spend winter in eastern Canada and northeastern US states. However, they are mainly found in Greenland and Europe.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Pink-footed Geese in open tundra, large estuaries, agricultural farmlands, and rocky outcrops and crags.
Pink-footed Geese feed on a wide variety of tundra plants in the summer, whether on land or water, while they mainly feed on grains, sugar beets, and potatoes from agricultural fields in winter.
Pink-footed Goose Call:
Nests
Nests of Pink-footed Geese are often located on cliffs close to glaciers and on islets in lakes. They need a safe place for nesting to protect them from predatory attacks. Nests are simple, shallow scrapes on the ground lined with moss and down.
The female lays three to five eggs which she incubates for just under four weeks. When the eggs hatch, the young goslings walk with their parents to the nearest lake for food.
Fun Fact:
While large populations of Pink-footed Geese may cause damage to crops as they feed, they also help farmers since they eat the leaves and roots of sugar beets and potatoes after harvesting. This reduces the transmission of crop diseases.
