Pink-footed Goose

Brownish-grey head and neck, dark mantle, pinkish-grey breast and flanks, and darker grey-brown wings with pale feather fringes creating a scalloped effect. The bill is short and dark with a distinct pink band or patch across the middle. Sexes look alike; juveniles have duller plumage and less distinct markings.

Small stubby bill with a pink band, dark brown head and neck contrasting with a paler grey-brown chest, dark grey upperparts with pale fringes, and bright pink legs.

Length: 60-75 cm; Wingspan: 135-170 cm; Weight: 1.8-3.4 kg

A high-pitched, resonant, two-note gabbling or yapping call, often described as 'wink-wink' or 'unet-unet', noticeably higher-pitched than Greylag or Bean geese.

Herbivorous. Feeds on grasses, leaves, roots, agricultural crops (such as potatoes, sugar beets, and spilled grain), and stubble fields.

Breeds on Arctic cliffs, plateaus, and tundra near water. Winters in agricultural fields, coastal marshes, estuaries, and lowland pastures.

Migratory. Undertakes long-oversea migrations between Arctic breeding grounds and European wintering quarters twice a year.

Nests on steep slopes, cliff ledges, or tundra mounds, often near predator-deterring gull or raptor nests. Lays 3-6 cream-white eggs in a shallow scrape lined with down.

Bean Goose (Anser fabalis), which lacks the pink bill band and has a longer, more uniform bill; Greater White-fronted Goose, which has a prominent white face patch and belly bars.

Acts as a seed disperser and grazes on vegetation, influencing plant communities in both its Arctic breeding grounds and agricultural wintering sites.

Least Concern, with an increasing population trend.

Look for large, noisy flocks feeding on agricultural fields or coastal marshes, particularly in the UK and northwestern Europe during winter. Use binoculars or a spotting scope to check bill and leg coloration.

Pink-footed geese are highly social and form strong lifelong pair bonds. They are capable of flying at high altitudes, sometimes recorded soaring above 6,000 meters during migration.