Greylag Goose

Project summary

1,340
Birds colour-marked

6,600
Sightings received

2013
Years project started

Colour-marks used

White leg ring, 3 black characters (combination of letters and numbers) on one leg with BTO metal on other leg.

Lime leg ring, 3 black characters (all letters) on one leg with BTO metal on other leg.

Orange neck collar, 3 black characters (all letters). BTO metal ring on a leg

report a sighting

other colour-marks

Background

Initially our work on Greylag Geese started at Windermere in Cumbria where several hundred birds were rounded up during annual moult. The study aimed to bring about a better understanding of where Greylag Geese moulting on Windermere originated from. This aspect of the work has now been completed and published, including providing Britain’s first survival estimate for this population. There is a need to continue improving our knowledge of the demography of British Greylags and so therefore, our colour marking will continue expanding to other areas, along with supporting other projects on this species in Britain.

Publications

Brides, K, K.A. Wood, S.W. Petrek, J. Cooper, S.E. Christmas, J. Middleton, K. Leighton & A. Grogan. (2021).
Moult migration, site fidelity and survival of British Greylag Geese Anser anser at Windermere, Cumbria.
Ringing & Migration 34: 84-94.

view paper

Brides, K, J. Middleton, K. Leighton & A. Grogan. 2018.
The use of camera traps to identify individual colour-marked geese at a moulting site.
Ringing & Migration 33: 19-22.

view paper