006 (Greater) White-fronted Goose
(Anser albifrons)
Identification
65-75 cm. Smaller and darker than the Greylag Goose. It has a grey-brown body, with ragged black bars on belly and pale bars on back. It got its name of the distinctive white patch at its forehead. The juveniles has no white patch, it is characteristic only for adult species. Its bill is pink. In Hungary the ssp albifrons can be seen during autumn and spring migration.
Description
In Hungary the Greater White-fronted Goose is common passage and winter visitor. In autumn large flocks arrive in October and stay until the first frosts, or may overwinter when the weather is mild. Its spring migration starts after thaw, and by mid to late March the majority have left. However, small flocks can still be observed in April and a low number of individuals often stay to oversummer. The Greater White-fronted Goose occurs in large numbers predominantly on the Great Plain but has increased in Transdanubia since the nineties.
-White-fronted-Goose-(Anser-albifrons).jpg "006 (Greater) White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons )")
Source: 1) Lovászi Péter (editor): Javasolt különleges madárvédelmi területek Magyarországon, Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület, 2002; 2) BirdLife International:IUCN Red List for birds. Species factsheet; 3) Králl Attila, Nagy Károly: Fontos Madárélőhelyek Magyarországon (Területek, kritériumok és minősítő fajok) MME Monitoring Központ, 2007; 4) Szabolcs Kókay bird illustrations; 5) www.hungarianbirdwatching.com bird descriptions and checklists, 2004-2012; 6) Lars Svensson et al.: Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe 2nd Edition, Harper Collins, 2010; 7) MME Nomenclator Bizottság: Nomenclator avium Hungariae. An annotated list of the birds of Hungary. Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület, 2008