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Species accounts

The following pages contain information on the current conservation status of all goose and swan species in the UK. Please select a species or population from the summary below, or the menu to the left.

From the menu to the left you can also access information on non-native waterbird species established in the UK.

Species Global Status1 AEWA Status2 UK Status3 Population4
(flyway/sub-species) 		GB Population5 Irish Population6 GB Trend Productivity
Mute Swan Least Concern C1 Green 31,700 (British)
10,000 (Irish) 		74,000 11,440 ≈ variable
Bewick’s Swan Least Concern A2 Amber 20,000 (NW Europe, non-breeding) 7,000 29,000 ↓ 5-25%
Whooper Swan Least Concern A2 Amber 20,900 (Iceland, breeding) 11,000 12,730 ↑ 10-20%
Taiga Bean Goose Least Concern* B1 Red 70,000 - 90,000 (NW Europe, non-breeding) 410 rare ≈ moderate?
Tundra Bean Goose C1 Amber 600,000 (rossicus) 320 rare ≈ moderate?
Pink-footed Goose Least Concern B2a Amber 270,000 (Greenland/Iceland, breeding) 360,000 scarce ↑ 15-20%
European White-fronted Goose Least Concern* C1 Red 1,000,000 (Baltic/North Sea) 2,400 - ↓ 13-32%
Greenland White-fronted Goose A2 Red 27,000 (flavirostris) 13,000 11,340 ↓ 10-20%
Iceland Greylag Goose Least Concern B1 Amber 87,200 (Iceland, breeding) 85,000 5,030 ≈ 10-20%
British Greylag Goose - 140,000 (British)5 140,000 - ↑ 20-30%
Greenland Barnacle Goose Least Concern B1 Amber 56,400 (E Greenland, breeding) 58,000 9,035 ↑ 6-13%
Svalbard Barnacle Goose A2 27,000 (Svalbard, breeding) 33,000 - ≈ <5%
Dark-bellied Brent Goose Least Concern* B2c Red 200,000 (bernicla) 91,000 rare ↓ 0-31%
Canadian Light-bellied Brent Goose A2 Amber 26,400 (Ireland, non-breeding) 710 21,750 ↑** 1-30%
East Atlantic Light-bellied Brent Goose A1c 7,000 (Svalbard/N Greenland, breeding) 3,400 - ≈ 5-31%

* The Red List assessment of races is not routinely undertaken, however, assessments of the following populations have been conducted:

Taiga Bean Goose Anser fabalis fabalis: evaluated as Vulnerable (Eaton et al. 2009.3).

Greenland White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons flavirostris: evaluated as Endangered (Boertmann 2007.7).

Dark-bellied Brent Goose Branta bernicla bernicla: evaluated as Vulnerable (Eaton et al. 2009.3).

** Canadian Light-bellied Brent Goose trend is for Northern Ireland.

References

1 IUCN. 2008. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Online database:
http://www.iucnredlist.org

2 Convention of Migratory Species. 2008.
http://www.unep-aewa.org/documents/

3 Eaton MA, AF Brown, DG Noble, AJ Musgrove, R Hearn, NJ Aebischer, DW Gibbons, A Evans & RD Gregory. 2009. Birds of Conservation Concern 3: the population status of birds in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. British Birds 102:296-341.

4 Wetlands International 2006. Waterbird Population Estimates - Fourth Edition. Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

5 Musgrove, AJ, GE Austin, RD Hearn, CA Holt, DA Stroud & SR Wooton. 2011. Overwinter popluation estimates of British waterbirds. British Birds 104: 364-397.

6 Crowe, O, GE Austin, K Colhoun, PA Cranswick, M Kershaw & AJ Musgrove. 2008. Estimates and trends of waterbird numbers wintering in Ireland, 1994/95 to 2003/04. Bird Study 55: 66-77.

7 Boertmann, D. 2007. Rødliste 2007 over planter og dyr i Grønland. [2007 Red List of plants and animals in Greenland]. Direktoratet for Miljø og Natur, Grønlands Hjemmestyre).


   
Goose & Swan Monitoring
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The Goose & Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP) monitors numbers and breeding success of the UK's geese and swans during the non-breeding season. GSMP is organised by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) in partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of CCW, NE and CNCC) and Scottish Natural Heritage.
Email: monitoring@wwt.org.uk

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT
T: +44 (0) 1453 891900
E:enquiries@wwt.org.uk
Registered Charity no. 1030884

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