Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: #http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of _the_WP15.xls#.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Vulnerable | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2015 | Vulnerable | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2012 | Endangered | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2008 | Endangered | A2b,c,d; A3b,c,d; A4b,c,d |
| 2007 | Endangered | |
| 2006 | Vulnerable | |
| 2004 | Vulnerable | |
| 2000 | Vulnerable | |
| 1996 | Vulnerable | |
| 1994 | Vulnerable | |
| 1988 | Threatened |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type |
Land-mass type - continent |
Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 1,140,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 871,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | 6-10 | - |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Value | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of mature individuals | good | estimated | 2013 | |
| Population trend | decreasing | medium | suspected | 1998-2008 |
| Decline % (10 years/3 generations future) | 30-49 | - | - | - |
| Decline % (10 years/3 generations past and future) | 30-49 | - | - | - |
| Number of subpopulations | 1 | - | - | - |
| Percentage in largest subpopulation | 100 | - | - | - |
| Generation length (years) | 10.9 | - | - | - |
Population justification: Coordinated censuses in January 2003, 2004 and 2005 resulted in total population estimates of 33,600, 52,800 and 32,100 individuals respectively. The geometric mean of these totals 38,500. Recalculating this including the 2006 count of c.34,000 gives a revised geometric mean of 37,000 individuals. However, total counts of 40,800 in spring 2008 (primarily as a result of a large count in Kalmykia), 44,300 the following winter (Cranswick et al. 2010) and a potential population count of 56,860 in autumn 2010 (Rozenfeld 2011a) lend further weight to the suggestion that counts in the mid 2000s might be partially incomplete because birds wintered away from the traditionally surveyed sites. In 2015, Wetlands International increased its global population estimate from c. 44,000 to c. 56,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2015).
Trend justification:
Variation in survey intensity and coverage historically makes determination of trends difficult. Following a count of 60,000 in the mid 1950s, totals rarely exceeded 20,000 until intensive winter surveys in the 1990s recorded over 70,000. Two counts of just under 90,000 in the late 1990s were considered accurate (Aarvak et al. 1996, D. Hulea in litt. 2003) and an increase since the 1970s. Coordinated winter counts were then initiated in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine since 1995, with at least one count in each winter month. Only around 30,000 were recorded in the early 2000s. It has been suggested that some birds may have been overlooked, wintering further east than expected (in eastern Ukraine or south-west Russia) where survey coverage was much less comprehensive or absent, though no new wintering sites have been found. Numbers recorded during winter surveys recovered slightly, with an average of 37,300 during the mid 2000s (S. Dereliev in litt. to Wetlands International 2005), but representing a decline of more than 50% since the late 1990s.
Counts during migration periods since 2008 have recorded larger numbers, e.g. 40,800 in spring 2008 in Kalmykia, 56,860 in autumn 2010 in Northern Kazakhstan (Rozenfeld 2011a) and c. 150,000 individuals in autumn 2012 (Rozenfeld et al. 2012). The use of such areas during migration potentially make survey efforts more effective, concentrating birds that may be widely dispersed during winter, though rapid turnover at sites during migration also presents potential problems of missing or double-counting birds; and differences in methods of generating population estimates may also be leading to the different estimates between migratory stopover points and wintering areas (N. Petkov in litt. 2016). In January 2013, c. 56,000 birds were counted in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine (N. Petkov in litt. 2013), with nearly 54,000 in Bulgaria (Illiev and Petkov 2015); however post-January 2013 numbers in Bulgaria and Romania have failed to reach 30,000 individuals (E. Todorov in litt. 2015). These findings suggest that during milder winters birds may now winter farther east where survey effort is less comprehensive (Cranswick et al. 2012). Recent surveys also suggest that the species may be wintering farther west, with more than 2,000 wintering in Hungary (mainly Hortobágy National Park) in winter 2014-2015 (T. Zalai in litt. 2015). The recently published European Red List of Birds suggests that the European population is declining, but only slightly (BirdLife International 2015). Whilst migration counts suggest a recent increase, further corroboration is required to confirm an accurate current estimate.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | extant | uncertain | yes | |||
| Armenia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Azerbaijan | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Belarus | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Belgium | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Croatia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cyprus | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Denmark | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Egypt | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Finland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| France | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Georgia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Germany | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Hungary | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| India | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iraq | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ireland | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Israel | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Italy | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kyrgyzstan | extant | uncertain | yes | |||
| Latvia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Moldova | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Montenegro | extant | native | yes | |||
| Netherlands | extant | vagrant | ||||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Norway | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Poland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Russia (Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Serbia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovakia | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| South Korea | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Spain | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Sweden | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Syria | extant | uncertain | yes | |||
| Tajikistan | extant | uncertain | yes | |||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | |||
| Turkmenistan | extant | uncertain | yes | |||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Kingdom | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Uzbekistan | extant | uncertain | yes | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | major | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | marginal | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | major | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Tundra | major | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | unset | breeding |
| Altitude | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Unintentional effects (species is not the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Majority (50-90%) | Rapid Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Oil & gas drilling | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
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| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food - human | - | - | non-trivial | recent | ||
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | - | - | non-trivial | recent | ||
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | - | - | non-trivial | recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Branta ruficollis. Downloaded from
http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/red-breasted-goose-branta-ruficollis on 26/09/2023.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2023) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://datazone.birdlife.org on 26/09/2023.
