Anser serrirostris
The Tundra Bean Goose (*Anser serrirostris*) is a medium-sized goose, typically measuring 65-89 cm in length with a wingspan of 140-174 cm and weighing 1.9-3.4 kg. It is characterized by its dark brown body plumage, a darker head and neck, and striking orange legs. The most distinctive field mark is its bill, which is black with a variable, often bright orange or yellowish band, and is relatively short and steeply angled to the forehead, differing subtly from its close relative, the Taiga Bea...
Primarily found in arctic and subarctic tundra and forest-tundra zones for breeding, transitioning to open agricultural lands, grasslands, and wetland habitats (lakes, marshes, estuaries) during migration and wintering. Generally occurs at low elevations.
Strictly herbivorous, primarily consuming grasses, sedges, horsetails, berries, roots, and tubers in the breeding grounds. During migration and winter, their diet shifts to include agricultural crops like waste grains (barley, wheat), potatoes, and oilseed rape.
Tundra Bean Geese are largely diurnal, spending their days foraging in open fields or pastures and roosting communally on large bodies of water or undisturbed ground at night. Their foraging strategy primarily involves grazing on short vegetation and grubbing for roots and tubers, often in a syst...
The Tundra Bean Goose has an extensive Palearctic distribution, with its breeding range stretching across the Arctic and subarctic tundra zones of Russia, from the Kola Peninsula eastward through Siberia to Chukotka, and extending into northern Scandinavia. The Western Tundra Bean Goose (*A. s. r...
Least Concern
- The Tundra Bean Goose was only officially split from the Taiga Bean Goose (*Anser fabalis*) as a distinct species by many authorities relatively recently, highlighting ongoing taxonomic debates among ornithologists. - Its bill pattern, a distinct black base and tip with an orange or yellow band...