Branta bernicla

Description

Brants along the Atlantic coast have light-gray bellies, while those along the Pacific coast have black bellies. Both varieties have a black head, neck and chest, and a white, partly-broken collar.

The brant is a small- to medium-sized goose, averaging about 24 inches in body length and weighing between 42 and 63 ounces.

Males and females are similar in size and appearance. Immature brants look like their parents, but without the collar and with white scaling on the back.

Distribution and Habitat

The brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra of Alaska and Canada, and winters along both coasts of North America.

Scientific Classification

phylum Chordata
subphylum Vertebrata
class Aves
order Anseriformes
family Anatidae
subfamily Anserinae
genus & species Branta bernicla

All About Birds http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brant/id

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