black sea red data book - Department of Biology

Rufibrenta ruficollis Pallas, 1769
Synonyms: Rufibrenta ruficollis Bonaparte, 1856; Anser ruficollis Pallas, 1769, Anas
torquata Gmelin, 1774; Anas pulchricollis George, 1775
Common names: Engl: Red-breasted goose; Bulg: Chervenogusha guska; Rom:
Gisca cu git rosu; Russ: Krasnozobaya kazarka; Turk: Kirmizi gerdanli kaz; Ukr:
Chornovola kazarka
Order ANSERIFORMES
Family ANATIDAE
Taxonomic description. A small goose with varied plumage and red-brown breast,
throat and cheecks. Legs, beak, belly, back, wings, nape and crown of head black.
Base of beak, around cheek stripes, cross breast band, flanks,underside of tail and of
rump white.
IUCN Status
World level: VU
Black Sea Regional level: EN
Subregion level: NE
Distribution. The Red-breasted goose is a Russian endemic that nests in North-West
and Central Siberia. Its breeding areas include the tundra and leso-tundra of the
peninsulas Yamal, Gludan and Taymyr. To the east of Taymyr it nests only around
the Popugay river (Krivenko, 1983). Till 1967 its main winter areas were along the
south-west and south coast of the Caspian Sea. As a result of worsening conditions in
this area, birds moved to spend winter in the Black Sea region, mostly in the
Bulgarian and Romanian parts of Dobrudja (Isakov, 1979). Before reaching their
Balkan winter quarters, Rufibrenta ruficollis flies over the North Prichernomorie
(Lusenko, 1991). Along the south Bulgarian coast, flocks reach 100-200 specimens.
Rarely single specimens and small flocks are recorded along the seashore of Turkey
(OST Bird Report, 1975). In autumn, the first Rufibrenta ruficollis arrive along the
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