Greater White-fronted Goose

The Greater White-fronted Goose is a medium to large grayish-brown goose named for the white patch of feathers surrounding the base of its pink or orange bill. Its underparts show irregular black bars and blotches, especially in adults, earning it the informal nickname "specklebelly" among hunters and birders alike.

The legs are orange, and the overall body plumage is a warm grayish-brown, darker above and paler below, without the bold black-and-white patterning seen in Canada or Cackling Geese.

Key field marks

• Grayish-brown body overall
• White patch surrounding the base of the bill (more extensive in adults)
• Irregular black barring on the belly (more pronounced in adults)
• Orange legs and a pink or orange bill

Similar species

• Greylag Goose: Paler gray overall with a pink bill but lacks the white face patch and black belly barring.
• Immature White-fronted Geese lack the white face patch and belly bars, making them plainer and best identified by overall shape and bill/leg color alongside adults or known flocks.

Greater White-fronted Geese breed on Arctic tundra across northern Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia, nesting on the ground near tundra wetlands.

In winter, populations migrate to a variety of habitats including agricultural fields, marshes, and wetlands across the central and southern United States, Mexico, Europe, and Asia, depending on the breeding population involved.

Behavior

Greater White-fronted Geese are social and form flocks during migration and winter, often associating with other goose species at shared feeding and roosting sites. They are strong, direct fliers, typically traveling in loose V or line formations.

Voice

A distinctive, high-pitched, laughing or yodeling call, often described as more musical than the honk of a Canada Goose, frequently given in flight.

Feeding

They graze on grasses and sedges, and feed extensively on waste grain in agricultural fields, as well as aquatic plants in wetland habitats.

Nesting and breeding

Females nest on the ground on Arctic tundra, laying 3-6 eggs; both parents typically stay with the goslings and defend them until fledging.