Hybrid BrantxBrent (1 Viewer)

Two first winter hybrid Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent are reported at the pitch and putt course at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. Can anyone tell me what their identifying features are?

sandp said:

Two first winter hybrid Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent are reported at the pitch and putt course at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. Can anyone tell me what their identifying features are?

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Hi sandp

I have no personal experience of these hybrids, but the following links should point you in the right direction.

http://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/articles/black_brant.htm
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/IntrmBrantNY.html

Hope this helps.
Regards
Tristanhttp://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/articles/black_brant.htm

Personally I'm sceptical on this one. I rather doubt that there are any established criteria which allow one to rule out normal variation within in these two species (?) with any degree of confidence, John

Are brant goose and brent goose separate birds? If so, how do you distinguish between them and which of the two is more prominent in the UK?

Tim100 said:

Are brant goose and brent goose separate birds? If so, how do you distinguish between them and which of the two is more prominent in the UK?

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Hi Tim

Within the UK Brent Geese occur with three races (although some authorities consider them different species) being regular winter visitors.

There is a fourth race which has occured in Ireland. This race is Grey-bellied Brent (Branta bernicula orientalis), but this is believed by some to be an integrade rather than a full race.

So within a UK context:

Dark-bellied Brent Goose (Branta bernicula bernicula) occuring predominantly on the South and East coast of the UK. This race breeds Western Siberia.

Pale-bellied Brent Goose (Branta bernicula hrota) occuring predominantly on the West coast of the UK (plus a strong wintering population in Northumberland (Holy Island). This race breeds from Arctic Canada, Greenland to Franz josef Land.

Black Brant (Branta bernicula nigricans) This race occurs as a rare (but annual) vagrant to the UK. This race breeds from Eastern Siberia to Western Canada.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese are distinguished by its overall dark plumage (dark on the belly in particular and lacking any extensive paleness on flanks).
Pale-bellied Brent Geese are very pale on the belly with extensive whitish flanks.
Black Brants are very dark all over (including belly) with very contrasting white flanks. The white neck-collar is generally very thick and almost meets at the rear of the neck.

The name Brant is the American version of the UK name Brent.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Tristan

If I have missed anything out here I am sure someone else will be along to fill in the blanks or correct!

Thanks very much for such a detailed response :bounce: - sounds like they could cause a bit of confusion.

wells birds

Thanks Tristan. I wasn't able to pick the hybrids out at Wells and after following up those links it's understandable. The variation amongst the dark-bellied, both actual and apparent as they change position makes it all problematic. I'll go back and try again though.

I saw this pair

http://www.deeestuary.co.uk/images/brent.gif

A few years back.. never did anything with them.. one had the neck pattern of Brant and the other had the underpart/flanks. Whether they were Grey-bellied... integrades I'll never know!