Description:

A medium-sized brownish-grey goose with a rather dark head and neck, similar to Greylag Goose. Adult has white band at front of head, black barring on belly, orange-pink bill; and orange-legs and feet. Upperwing more uniform than in Greylag Goose. Juvenile lacks white frontal band and belly barring.

Distribution:

Rare passage migrant through major waterways and lakes all across Gilgit-Baltistan. Landing in the region during cloudy/harsh weather, at lakes, marshes, rivers and streams with fringe vegetation up to 3500m, avoiding turbulent waters.

Behavior:

Forages mostly by grazing on dry land, but may feed by night on flooded fields, especially if moonlit. Spends winter months in fixed areas. Feeds on roots, leaves, stems and seeds of various plants, herbs, berries, grasses and sedges; also grain, potatoes and sprouting cereals in winter.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Greater White-fronted Goose in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Greater White-fronted Goose

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.