Bean Goose Anser fabalis	Species Accounts - Background - Status Summary - Latest results

Two races (A. f. fabalis and A. f. rossicus) are found in the Western Palearctic and both occur in Britain. The Taiga Bean Goose (fabalis) originates from the taiga zone of Scandinavia and western Russia, at least as far as the Ural Mountains. It winters predominantly in southern Sweden, Denmark and, to a lesser extent, in northern Germany and Poland. Some birds from more eastern breeding areas are thought to migrate through the Baltic States to reach Poland and Germany, instead of passing through the stopover sites in southern Sweden. Small numbers also visit western Denmark, the Netherlands and Britain.

Tundra Bean Geese (rossicus) breed in low arctic northern Russia and western Siberia, from the Kola Peninsula to the Taimyr Peninsula. During the non-breeding season they are one of the most widespread of all Western Palearctic geese, occurring in almost all European countries except Iceland and Ireland. They migrate through Russia and the Baltic states to stopover sites in western Poland, eastern Germany, central-east Europe from early September. By late October, they reach western Germany, the Low Countries, western and southern Europe, from Spain to Greece.

In Britain, Bean Geese are scarce winter visitors and occur sporadically, mostly in groups of fewer than 10 and often with other, more numerous, goose species. There are just two regularly used sites supporting more than 50 birds, the Yare Marshes, Norfolk, and the Slamannan Plateau, Falkirk District. They are believed, however, to have been abundant in historical times, particularly in Scotland, although some uncertainty exists over their former status because of problems with identification. Influxes of Bean Geese related to cold weather in continental wintering areas occasionally occur, typically involving Tundra Bean Geese (Hearn 2004).

The feeding ecology of Taiga Bean Geese has been studied principally in southern Sweden (e.g. Markgren 1963, Nilsson & Persson 1991). Stubbles are highly favoured during autumn, with cereals and grasses preferred later in winter. Waste crops, particularly sugar beet, are also used when available. A similar habitat selection has been found for Tundra Bean Geese across the European wintering range, with maize identified as an important food source (e.g. Mooij 1992, Sterbetz 1979).

Because of its importance for wintering Bean Geese, the Slamannan Plateau was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and as a Special Protection Area (SPA) in 2008. The Yare Valley is also similarly protected. Outside the UK, uncontrolled hunting and habitat loss are the main concerns.

Regular counts (usually monthly, but sometimes more frequent) have been made annually at the Slamannan Plateau by the Bean Goose Action Group since the mid 1980s. Regular counts have been made at the Yare Valley since the 1960s; more recently, monthly counts are made during winter by the RSPB. Age assessments have recently been instigated at both of these sites, although the phenology of this population in the UK makes data collection logistically difficult.

WWT home | JNCC home The Goose & Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP) monitors numbers and breeding success of geese and swans in the UK during the non-breeding season. GSMP is organised by WWT on behalf of WWT and JNCC. Email: monitoring@wwt.org.uk