Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) is a medium sized goose with a famously short and stubby black bill. The face is a bright white mask that is followed by a black cap, neck, and chest. There is also a thin line of black plumage that connects the bill to the dark black eyes. The underbelly is mostly white with light gray vermiculation on the flanks. The plumage on the back is mostly black with the same light gray vermiculation that becomes chunkier the further it descends down the back. Males and females display the same plumage.

The Barnacle Goose claims fame for breeding and nesting on incredibly high cliff faces to protect themselves and their young from Arctic foxes and polar bears. They are known to breed mainly in the Arctic Islands of the North Atlantic. From here, the Barnacle Goose population is divided into three main groups, which all have their own wintering grounds as well. The population that breeds in eastern Greenland winters in western Scotland or western Ireland.