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Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons Scientific name definitions

Craig R. Ely, A. X. Dzubin, Steven G. Mlodinow, Guy M. Kirwan, Carles Carboneras, and Ernest Garcia
Version: 1.1 — Published June 7, 2024
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Introduction

The Greater White-fronted Goose is named for the white arc that encircles the base of its upper mandible, a character that it shares with the Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus); however, it has a variety of other names, commensurate with its broad distribution. In North America, waterfowl hunters typically refer to it as Specklebelly Goose (or simply Specklebelly) because of the conspicuous and distinctive blotching on the adult's belly (e.g., 1). It has also been called Laughing Goose (2), as its calls can resemble laughter, especially when in flocks. Surprisingly, the first known reference to this species comes from paintings inside the tomb of an Egyptian Prince at Meidum (near Cairo) dating back to circa 2550 B.C., wherein two Greater White-fronted Geese are depicted feeding in a field of grain with four other geese, two of which are likely Graylag Goose (Anser anser), and the other two of which may belong to a now-extinct species (3).

The Greater White-fronted Goose is a sexually monomorphic species, generally monogamous, cryptically colored, highly migratory, and territorial while breeding. It is a long-lived bird that maintains permanent pair bonds and provides extended biparental care to its young, often into the next breeding season and beyond. It is gregarious and social except while nesting, preferring to nest singly or in loose aggregations. It lays three to seven pale tannish-white eggs. Unsuccessful pairs and some nonbreeders undertake a premolt migration to segregated molting grounds. During the nonbreeding season, from August to May, this species forms flocks and stages and roosts communally, often in association with other species of geese.

The Greater White-fronted Goose has a nearly circumpolar breeding distribution, the broadest within its genus, nesting in dry tundra, wet tundra, and taiga habitats. Its wintering range is equally broad, ranging south to approximately the Tropic of Cancer in Asia and North America and to approximately 40°N in Europe and the Middle East, favoring semiarid grasslands, wetlands, and agricultural fields during migration and winter. Within this extensive range, there are five subspecies (4, 5): Anser albifrons sponsa and A. a. elegasi in western North America, A. a. gambelli in eastern and central North America, A. a. flavirostris in the North Atlantic, and A. a. albifrons through much of Europe and Asia, the last of which can be split into two to six populations with largely segregated breeding and wintering areas (6, 7). Two of the five subspecies have a somewhat restricted breeding range and relatively small population, with the A. a. elegasi consisting of roughly 10,000 birds that breed only in Alaska's Cook Inlet (8, 9, 10, 11) and A. a. flavirostris consisting of circa 18,800 birds that breed only in coastal western Greenland (12, 11). The most recent estimates place the world population at just over 5,000,000 birds (11). The Eurasian populations have increased at just over 3% per annum since 1988 and North American populations at approximately 5% per year since the mid-1970s (11), with increases attributed to hunting restrictions (13, 14, 7) and increased use of agricultural fields, including corn (15, 16), rice (17, 16, 18), and wheat (15, 16), as well as barley, oats, and potatoes (16).

Although the Greater White-fronted Goose has been well studied in Europe and parts of Asia (19), only a modest published data base exists for its Nearctic forms, despite a significant numbers of unpublished reports. Important bibliographies for the species can be found in Palmer (20), Cramp and Simmons (19), Johnsgard (21), Bellrose (22), Owen (23), Fox and Stroud (24), Weller (25), Johnson and Herter (26), Smith et al. (27), and Batt et al. (28).

Distribution of the Greater White-fronted Goose - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Greater White-fronted Goose

Recommended Citation

Ely, C. R., A. X. Dzubin, S. G. Mlodinow, G. M. Kirwan, C. Carboneras, and E. Garcia (2024). Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (N. D. Sly and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gwfgoo.01.1
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