Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Branta canadensis (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously split as B. canadensis and B. hutchinsii following AOU (2004), and before then lumped as B. canadensis following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).
Taxonomic source(s)
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2006 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Not Recognised | |
| 2000 | Not Recognised | |
| 1994 | Not Recognised | |
| 1988 | Not Recognised |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 23,300,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 12,800,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Severely Fragmented | - |
| Value | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | estimated | 2012 | |
| Population trend | Increasing | suspected | - | |
| Decline (3 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (5 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/3 generation future) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/3 generation past and future) | - | - | - | |
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Percentage in largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 10.5 | - | - | - |
Population justification: The global population is estimated at c. 5,000,000-6,200,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2015). The European population is estimated at 1,000-5,000 pairs, which equates to 2,000-10,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2015).
Trend justification: The overall population trend is increasing, although some populations may be stable and some are decreasing (Wetlands International 2015). This species has undergone a large and statistically significant increase over the last 40 years in North America (1500% increase over 40 years, equating to a 101% increase per decade; data for Branta canadensis and B. hutchinsii combined, from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007). The European population is estimated to be increasing (BirdLife International 2015).
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Presence | Resident | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | V | Extant | ||||
| Austria | I | Extant | ||||
| Bahamas | N | Extant | ||||
| Belarus | V | Extant | Yes | |||
| Belgium | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | V | Extant | ||||
| Bulgaria | V | Extant | ||||
| Canada | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | N | Extant | ||||
| Cuba | N | Extant | ||||
| Czechia | I | Extant | ||||
| Denmark | I | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| Finland | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| France | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| Germany | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Haiti | N | Extant | ||||
| Iceland | V | Extant | ||||
| Jamaica | V | Extant | ||||
| Japan | V | Extant | ||||
| Kiribati | V | Extant | ||||
| Latvia | V | Extant | Yes | |||
| Liechtenstein | V | Extant | ||||
| Lithuania | V | Extant | Yes | |||
| Luxembourg | V | Extant | Yes | |||
| Marshall Islands | V | Extant | ||||
| Mexico | N | Extant | ||||
| Netherlands | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| New Zealand | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| North Korea | V | Extant | ||||
| Norway | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| Poland | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| Portugal | V | Extant | ||||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | N | Extant | ||||
| Russia | I | Extant | ||||
| Russia (Asian) | V | Extant | ||||
| Russia (Central Asian) | V | Extant | ||||
| Russia (European) | I | Extant | ||||
| Slovakia | V | Extant | ||||
| Slovenia | V | Extant | ||||
| South Korea | V | Extant | ||||
| Spain | V | Extant | ||||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sweden | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | N | Extant | ||||
| Ukraine | I | Extant | ||||
| United Kingdom | I | Extant | Yes | |||
| USA | N | Extant | Yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open) | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Urban Areas | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Urban Areas | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Tundra | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | major | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Marshes/Pools | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 2000 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food - human | - | - | Non-trivial | Recent | ||
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | - | - | International | Non-trivial | Recent | |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | - | - | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Branta canadensis. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 26/03/2023.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2023) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 26/03/2023.
