Anser fabalis
Silhouette: Rebecca Groom · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The taiga bean goose (Anser fabalis) is a species of goose that breeds in northern Europe and Asia. It is migratory and winters further south in Europe and Asia. This and the tundra bean goose were recognised as separate species by the International Ornithologists' Union and the American Ornithological Society from 2007, but are still considered a single species by some other authorities (collectively called bean goose), notably BirdLife International and the IUCN. The taiga and tundra bean goose diverged about 2.5 million years ago and established secondary contact c. 60,000 years ago, resulting in extensive gene flow.
The length ranges from 68 to 90 cm (27–35 in), wingspan from 140 to 174 cm (55–69 in) and weight from 1.7–4 kg (3.7–8.8 lb). In the nominate subspecies, males average 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) and females average 2.84 kg (6.3 lb). The bill is black at the base and tip, with an orange band across the middle; the legs and feet are also bright orange.
The upper wing-coverts are dark brown, as in the white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) and the lesser white-fronted goose (A. erythropus), but differing from these in having narrow white fringes to the feathers. The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 3 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yaroslavl Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Zoopark Limpopo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Taiga Bean Goose sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 102 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 172nd most-seen of the 324 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Taiga Bean Goose in Beijing on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months. That is one of Beijing's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 150 mm in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Taiga Bean Goose sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Taiga Bean Goose sightings, Beijing ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Novosibirsk (Russia, about 10%), Seoul (South Korea, under 5%) and Helsinki (Finland, under 5%).
Same genus: Anser
The closest relatives of the Taiga Bean Goose that you can see in Beijing (genus Anser, Grey Geese) are Swan Goose (about 10%) and Greylag Goose (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Taiga Bean Goose is recorded against all the birds logged in Beijing (102 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
