The lives of Geese

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland today for thousands of farmers worry about lead that flock of geese can be a carefree life - day after day, year after year.

Red-chested Geese in the family of geese

Red-chested Geese with the scientific name Branta ruficollis belong to the family of ducks, Anatidae. Including 150 species of ducks, geese and swans are combined, which in turn are divided into groups. Red-chested Geese in so far fall into the group of genuine goose, Anserini. This group of genuine goose is in turn subdivided into the field, geese and sea goose. The Red-chested goose is one of five species of sea goose.

Other species are the Hawaiian goose (Branta sandvicensis), the Canada goose (Branta canadensis), the Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopis), as a smaller version of the Canada goose and the brent goose (Branta bernicla). Between the Brent Goose and Red-chested Goose is a close relationship. Red-chested Geese are the smallest sea Meergansart dar. geese can be distinguished from the field geese by their black-colored beaks and feet. The field, however geese wear pink, orange or gray beaks and feet. Red-chested Geese to a size of just half a meter, that is 55 centimeters, achieve an average weight of one to one and a half, in some cases also 1.7 kilograms. As with many birds the males are larger and heavier than the females. The coloration and pattern of plumage, however, is the same. The most striking feature of their plumage, the red breast and cheeks the same color stain.

Otherwise, the predominant plumage color is black. The games in the face with the exception of the black rein, large parts of the rump and underside are white. The average life expectancy is 17 years of Red-chested goose. With three to four years to reach sexual maturity the geese. Their courtship and mating season falls in the June, one of the few summer months in their distribution area on the Caspian Sea, especially along the rivers and lakes of Siberia. The habitat is the tundra, so the vast, mostly tree-free zone in the arctic climes, which is covered with grasses, shrubs, grasses and wool. The tundra is the summer home of the Red-chested goose, the front of the Siberian winter flees to the south and the Caspian Sea. Red-chested Geese lay between four and seven eggs. The incubation period of the nest is 24 to 27 days, the hatching of the chicks about 25 days.

The Red-chested goose feeding on cotton grass, grass, grain and other seeds. For the chicks, the food supply is supplemented with insects. Natural enemies of the Red-chested goose species are mainly arctic fox and a variety of predatory gulls, which have particular designs on the eggs and yet helpless chicks. Otherwise, the person carries through Eierklau and hunting in the hazard. Altogether, the occurrence of Red-chested goose, only about 50,000 animals. Thus it is classified according to the IUCN as endangered.