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Exif Keywords: Natur, Nature, Animals, Tiere, Fauna, Voegel, Vogel, Bird, Fliegen, Fly, Ornithologie, Zoologie, Zoology, Animalia
Exif ImageDescription: Branta leucopsis, Wei§wangengans, Barnacle Goose

The Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species....The Barnacle Goose is a medium-sized goose with a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars. During flight a V-shaped white rump patch and the silver-gray underwing linings are visible....Barnacle Geese frequently build their nests high on mountain cliffs; away from predators (primarily Arctic Foxes and Polar Bears) but also away from food. Like all geese, the goslings are not fed by the adults. Instead of bringing food to the newly hatched goslings, the goslings are brought to the ground. It was once thought that adults carried the young down to the ground but the truth is far more difficult to imagine. Unable to fly, the three day old goslings jump off the cliff and fall; their small size, feathery down, and very light weight helps to protect some of them from serious injury when they hit the rocks below, but many die from the awful impacts they experience on the way down and upon final landing. To complicate matters, arctic foxes are attracted by the noise made by the parent geese during this time and capture many dead or injured goslings. The foxes also stalk the young as they are led by the parents nearly one-half mile across a meadow to nearby wetland feeding areas. This spectacle is one of the most bizarre and disturbing in nature and a testament to the will to survive....The Barnacle Goose is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.Source:Wikipedia

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