The Greenland White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons flavirostris

summer, with 20% young in Scotland – i.e. high
production, Glahder 1999). However, this may not
always be the case (e.g. production of similar
numbers of young in the same study area in 1979
and 1984 despite a difference of almost a month
in the timing of the spring thaw MS5). Furthermore,
Greenland White-fronted Geese nest over
an unusually broad range of latitudes so that, even
within seasons, weather conditions in the southern
parts of the range may differ widely from
those in the north. Densities of families on the
breeding grounds vary with the general levels of
breeding success. The recent breeding survey of
1999 (a very late spring compared with most recent
years) showed that by early June, conditions
Population
Taiga Bean Goose
Anser fabalis fabalis
Tundra Bean Goose
Anser fabalis rossicus
Iceland Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchus
Svalbard Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchus
Iceland Greylag Goose
Anser anser
Scottish Greylag Goose
Anser anser
North American
White-fronted Geese
Anser albifrons
50
on the breeding areas were good in the south of
the range, but that deep snow conditions prevailed
from Disko Bay northwards (MS23). The
consequence may well have been that breeding
birds in the north of the range abandoned attempts
to nest altogether, since at Wexford (where
the majority of birds originate from the north of
the breeding range) geese returned with the lowest
ever recorded proportion of young (chapter
5).
The proportions of young in the autumn population
are generally lower than in most other populations
of White-fronted Geese and other grey
geese in the Western Palearctic (see Table 6.1). At
Table 6.1. Productivity data for Western Palearctic grey geese Anser spp. and for other populations of the
circumpolar White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons.
Mean % juveniles
(time period for sample) Mean brood size Source
28.7
(1981-1989)
25.0
(1970-1994)
17.9
(1970-1995)
16.9
(1980-1995)
17.7
(1970-1995)
26.8
(1986-1997)
Eastern Mid-Continent 33.3
(1979-1999)
Western Mid-Continent 31.2
(1979-1999)
Pacific 33.1
(1961-1999)
Tule 26.2
(1986-1999)
Western Palearctic
White-fronted Geese
Anser albifrons
Zeeland, Netherlands 29.0
(1970-1994)
Greenland White-fronted Geese
A. a. flavirostris
Wexford 16.3
(1968-1999)
Islay 14.9
(1968-1999)
- Madsen et al. (1999)
2.10
2.09
2.03
2.24
3.68
1.67
2.07
2.18
2.5
3.41
van Impe (1996)
Madsen et al. (1999)
Madsen et al. (1999)
Madsen et al. (1999)
Madsen et al. (1999)
US Fish & Wildlife
Service (1999)
US Fish & Wildlife
Service (1999)
US Fish & Wildlife
Service (1999)
US Fish & Wildlife
Service (1999)
van Impe (1996)
this study
3.17 this study