Brant Goose (Branta bernicla)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
A small, dark goose. Thin white collar on adults, juveniles with all black neck. Seems all black from a distance, except for the white vent. Easily told from Barnacle Goose by the lack of contrast between neck and belly, even at long distance. Subspecies hrota, bernicla and nigricans can be distinguished by plumage characters. B.b.hrota: Brownish rather than dark grey belly, and pale between legs. B.b.bernicla: Grey part of belly also reaching behind and between legs. B.b.nigricans: Almost black belly. "Necklace" more distinct, reaching to the front of neck.
Sound:A bubbling, trembling, ascending, three syllable "ahrahrrhit", quite different from other geese.
Contact call:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSounds:Recorded by Jens kirkeby,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license
Slender and elegant bird, about the same size as Grey Heron. Bill dark in breeding birds, otherwise yellow. Legs and feet dark, but tibia often with red tinge in breeding season. Long, S-shaped neck with sharp angle/bend. Erect posture, and less skulking, horizontal hunting behaviour than Little Egret. Almost twice the size of Little Egret, and wing-beats are considerably slower. Wings give the impression of being attached more upfront than in Little E. Feets protrude well beyond tail in flight.
Sound:Silent outside breeding ground. In colonies various harsh calls like a dry, and mechanical "kerrrrrrr", and a very nasal "geet" or "ga-geet ga-geet" are heard.
Flight call:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC