Red-breasted Geese Branta Ruficollis Research Articles

Using δ2H stable isotope analysis to identify the origin of a first winter Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis caught in Norway

We analysed the stable isotope of hydrogen (δ2H) in first generation median wing covert feathers sampled from a free-flying first winter Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis caught in Storøya, Norway in late April 2019. The highly depleted δ2H values corresponded to those predicted if the bird had grown feather in the Russian Arctic breeding areas of this species and were much more highly depleted compared to predicted values of a bird raised in captivity in Norway or elsewhere in western Europe. Although these data do not provide irrefutable proof of the individual’s wild origin, these results strongly suggest that even records outside the normal range for this species can potentially constitute a genuinely wild-reared individual.
 
 Cover photo: Red-breasted Goose caught at Storøya, Norway in late April 2019. Photo: Sindre Molværsmyr.

Rare birds in Slovenia in 2017 –Slovenian Rarities Committee's Report

Summary This report by the Slovenian Rarities Committee presents records of rare bird species in Slovenia in 2017, with some addenda for previous years. The numbers in brackets refer to the number of records (first number) and individuals (second number) recorded between 1 Jan 1950 and 31 Dec 2016. Since 1 Jan 2013, submission to the Committee has been required for 37 additional species, 17 of which are regional rarities. Records of these species are not numbered, since records from previous years were not collected by the Committee. The Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis was first recorded in Category A, in addition to previous Category D and E records. Other notable observations were the third record of Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis, fifth records of Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus and Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus, and seventh records of Greater Blackbacked Gull Larus marinus and Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius. The list of birds recorded in Slovenia (as of 31 Dec 2017) contains 390 species (375 in Category A, 6 in Category B, 9 exclusively in Category C; 4 species are both in Categories A and C). Category D contains 7 species, while Category E contains 39, two of which are classified into Subcategory E*. These two categories are not part of the list.

Results of the January 2017 waterbird census in Slovenia

Summary In 2017, the International Waterbird Census (IWC) was carried out in Slovenia on January 14 and 15. Waterbirds were counted on all larger rivers, along the entire Slovenian Coastland and on most of the major standing waters in the country. During the census, in which 235 observers took part, 413 sections of the rivers and coastal sea with a total length of 1,427 km and 200 other localities (164 standing waters and 36 streams) were surveyed. The census was characterized by harsh winter conditions and high proportion of frozen water bodies. Altogether, 51,790 waterbirds of 61 species were counted. Thus, the number of waterbirds and the number of species recorded were close to the 21-year average. The highest numbers of waterbirds were counted in the Drava count area, i.e. 20,064 individuals (38.7% of all waterbirds in Slovenia). By far the most numerous species was Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (46.1% of all waterbirds), followed by Coot Fulica atra (6.8% of all waterbirds), Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (5.9% of all waterbirds), Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus (5.7% of all waterbirds) and Mute Swan Cygnus olor (3.9% of all waterbirds). The number of 1,000 counted individuals was also surpassed by Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis, Teal An. crecca, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons, Pygmy Cormorant P. pygmeus and Grey Heron Ardea cinerea. Among the rarer recorded species, the Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis (registered for the first time during the January Waterbird Censuses and only for the third time ever in Slovenia) and Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis (the first probable A category individual for IWC and Slovenia) deserve special mention. Numbers of the following species were the highest so far recorded during the IWC: Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata (together with 2006 and 2012), Pintail An. acuta, Ferruginous Duck Ay. nyroca, Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis (together with 2003), Goosander Mergus merganser, Pygmy Cormorant, Herring Gull L. argentatus and Caspian Gull L. cachinnans. Number of Pochards Ay. ferina was the lowest so far recorded during the IWC.

Risk assessment of lead poisoning and pesticide exposure in the declining population of red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis) wintering in Eastern Europe

The red-breasted goose Branta ruficollis is a globally threatened species (IUCN Vulnerable) and the only European goose species currently in decline. Working on the wintering grounds on the Black Sea Coast, we address two potential causes of decline of this species for the first time: lead poisoning, and contamination from pesticides. We quantified the densities of spent Pb shot in three wetlands used by the geese in north-east Bulgaria, and analysed the Pb concentration in the faeces of red-breasted geese and the more abundant greater white-fronted geese Anser albifrons, using Al concentration as an indicator of soil ingestion. Pb shot densities in sediments were low, and we found no evidence for Pb shot ingestion in red-breasted geese. On the other hand, we found that the geese were feeding on wheat whose seeds were treated with four fungicides: thiram, tebuconazole, difenoconazole and fludioxonil, and the two first were even detected in geese faecal samples. Using data on the daily food intake, we estimated the exposure levels of the geese to these fungicides, both by measuring the concentrations remaining on seeds and by estimating the amount used to coat the seeds at the time of sowing. We found that the exposure rates estimated during the sowing period for both geese species can exceed the recognized hazardous doses for thiram, and to a lesser extent for tebuconazole, which indicates that some pesticides may be playing a previously overlooked role in the decline of red-breasted geese.

ЗАМЕТКИ О ПТИЦАХ ОХОТСКОГО РАЙОНА ХАБАРОВСКОГО КРАЯ

New observation data describe the distribution, number and status of 10 rare and understudied species of birds in Okhotsky district, Khabarovsky Krai. The Great Egret Casmerodius albus, Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis, Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata, Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri, King Eider Somateria spectabilis, Watercock Gallicrex cinerea were registered in the studied territory for the first time.

Changes in the waterbird community of the Lake Sevan–Lake Gilli area, Republic of Armenia: a case for restoration

Waterbird species richness (Gaviiformes, Podicipediformes, Pelecaniformes, Ciconiiformes, Phoenicopteriformes, Falconiformes, Anseriformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes, Passeriformes) has been significantly affected by a 19.5 m lowering of the water level in Lake Sevan (1933–2000), and the complete draining of nearby Lake Gilli (1960–2000) in the Republic of Armenia. Twenty-three former breeders are currently nonbreeders in the area. Four former breeders (black stork Ciconia nigra, glossy ibis Plegadis falcinellus, white-winged scoter Melanitta fusca, little crake Porzana parva) have been extirpated from the area. Four former nonbreeders (cattle egret Bubulcus ibis, red-breasted goose Branta ruficollis, sociable lapwing Chettusia gregaria, lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus) have been absent from the area for at least 20 years. The red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator is the only former nonbreeder discovered breeding in the Lake Sevan basin. We recommend that management plans of the 1960s and 1970s be used to further develop and enact new efforts to increase the water level of Lake Sevan by at least 6 m, and that Lake Gilli and its surrounding wetlands be restored as a means of increasing waterbird species richness overall, and protecting regional populations of globally threatened or near-threatened species (Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus, red-breasted goose Branta ruficollis, ferruginous pochard Aythya nyroca, white-headed duck Oxyura leucocephala, corn crake Crex crex, great snipe Gallinago media, black-winged pratincole Glareola nordmanni, white-tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla).