Branta ruficollis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis) is a brightly marked species of goose in the genus Branta from Eurasia. It is currently classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. The red-breasted goose is sometimes placed in its own genus Rufibrenta but appears close enough to the brant goose (Branta bernicla) to make this unnecessary, despite its distinct appearance. Today all major authorities include the red-breasted goose in Branta. Genetic studies indicate that the red-breasted goose may be one the few known examples of hybrid speciation in birds, being the result of ancient interbreeding between the ancestral brant goose and white-cheeked goose (the latter being the ancestral species that later split into all today's Branta species, except the brant and red-breasted geese). This interbreeding appears to have happened at least 3.5 million years ago, with the lineage of the red-breasted goose following its own evolutionary path since then.
Branta is a Latinised form of Old Norse Brandgás, "burnt (black) goose and ruficollis is from the Latin rufus "red" and collis "necked". All the species of the genus Branta are distinguished by their dark... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Copenhagen Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 5 | Natura Artis Magistra | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 6 | Le Pal | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 8 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 9 | Fota Wildlife Park | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 10 | Civic Aquarium of Milan | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 11 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | La Reserva del Castillo de las Guardas | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Whitcliff Park (Deer Park) | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 15 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Banham Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 17 | Cotswold Wildlife Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 18 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 19 | Flamingo Land Resort | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 20 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Dierenpark Hoenderdaell | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 22 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Gatorland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Memphis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Irrland | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 27 | Centro Cicogne e Anatidi | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 28 | Dudley Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 29 | Jaderpark | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 30 | Langenberg Wildlife Park | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 31 | Jersey Zoo | 🇯🇪 Jersey | |
| 32 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 33 | Akron Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 34 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 35 | Hirschfeld Wildlife Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 36 | Rosamond Gifford Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | Hamerton Zoo Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 38 | Tierpark Röhrensee | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 39 | Buffalo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Vogelpark Avifauna | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 41 | Buin Zoo | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 42 | Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 43 | Parc zoologique de Jurques | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 44 | Prinknash Bird and Deer Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 45 | Parc zoologique de Champrepus | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 46 | Rancho Texas Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 47 | Sacramento Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 48 | Parc zoologique de Bordeaux Pessac | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 49 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 50 | Tierpark Gettorf | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-breasted Goose sighting in Hortobágy National Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 153rd most-seen of the 202 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-breasted Goose in Hortobágy National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to September, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-breasted 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.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Red-breasted Goose sightings, Hortobágy National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-breasted Goose is recorded against all the birds logged in Hortobágy National Park (26 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
