365 Urban Species. #341: Brant

[urbpan]

The middle brant gobbles down some sea lettuce in this photo taken off of the Castle Island Promenade in South Boston. Photos by cottonmanifesto

Urban species #341: Brant Branta bernicula

Along with the many species of ducks that appear in winter, there is at least one species of goose that can be seen in Boston in the cold months. (There are a few species, in fact, but all but the brant are only rarely seen.) The brant breed in the very northern reaches of Canada, but winters along both coasts of the United States. The west coast brant subspecies has darker overall plumage, and is sometimes called the "black brant." Like their close relative the Canada goose, they feed primarily on plants. While they both will feed on grassy fields, the brant also likes aquatic plants, including marine algae. In Boston, the brant is usually seen in small flocks, floating on the harbor.

Comments

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

Oooooohhh! An action shot, very cool! =)

[teratologist.livejournal.com]

Great pictures.

I saw a huge flock of brant (with a few Canadas) today while I was jogging in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, but I didn't have my camera with me.