The lesser white-fronted goose wasformally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae under thebinomial nameAnas erythropus.[2][3] Linnaeus specified thetype location as northern Europe but this was restricted to northern Sweden in 1913.[3][4] The lesser white-fronted goose is now one of 11 species placed in the genusAnser that was introduced by the French zoologistMathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760.[5] The specific epithet comes fromanser, the Latin for "goose", anderythropus, "red-footed", derived from the old Greekeruthros "red" andpous "foot".[6] The species ismonotypic: nosubspecies are recognised.[5] The lesser white-fronted goose is closely related to thegreater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons).[7]
The lesser white-fronted goose winters further south in Europe and is a rare winter vagrant toGreat Britain andIndia.[8] Individual birds formerly appeared regularly atWWT Slimbridge inGloucestershire, England, where they inspiredSir Peter Scott to set up TheWildfowl and Wetlands Trust—modern records, however, are far less frequent, a consequence of the species' decline on itsEuropean breeding grounds. An attractive species, it is also widely kept in wildfowl collections and, as a result, escapes do occur; individuals seen insummer, or in the company of otherferal geese, are likely to be of captive origin.
The two white-fronted goose species differ little other than in size (the lesser, at 53–66 cm (21–26 in) length and with a 120–135 cm (47–53 in) wingspan, is not much bigger than amallard (Anas platyrhynchos)), but both may be readily distinguished from thegreylag goose by their bright orange legs and their mouse-coloured upperwing-coverts. Thegreylag goose has a flesh-coloured bill and legs and the upper wing-coverts are bluish-grey.
Both white-fronted goose species have a very conspicuous white face and broad black bars which cross the belly.
Adult lesser white-fronted geese, as well as being smaller than greater white-fronted geese, have an obvious yellow eye-ring and the white facial blaze goes up to the crown.
The lesser white-fronted goose is considered anendangered species, but there are programmes toreintroduce animals into the wild to strengthen the population. Additionally it is one of the species to which theAgreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
This genetically distinct population is now estimated at 20 breeding pairs or 60–80 total individuals at most. They breed in northern Norway and overwinter in Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. There is a major stop-over site atHortobágy National Park, Hungary, where the birds spend up to two months during autumn and one month during the spring migration.[9]
Another part of the Fennoscandian population breeds in northern Sweden. The population size in 2015 is estimated to about 15 breeding pairs or 40–50 individuals in all. These birds follow a western migration route and spend the winter in Netherlands and Germany. According to the IUCN Red List in 2015, the conservation status of this population is Critically Endangered.
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