The taiga bean goose (Anser fabalis) is the most commonly seen species of bean goose in northern Europe and Asia. This broad goose is somewhat similar to the Greater White Goose but has a larger, dark bill with an orange band, no white frontal patch, and a lighter-gray belly that is uniform. Across Europe and Asia, it’s migratory, with winters farther south. About 2,5 million years ago, the taiga and tundra bean goose diverged and formed secondary contact ca. 60,000 Years ago, which contributed to massive gene production. This appears to be smaller and browner with orange legs and a black head and neck than the other ‘grey geese’ species. Usually, it is larger than the related tundra bean goose with identical plumage, a sleeker body, and longer tail. Usually, the yellow-orange band on the bill occupies about half the bill. The Taiga Bean-Goose breeds from Norway to Siberia right through Eurasia, and winters south to southern Europe and China, preferring open grassland and farmland. In its northward migration in spring, it is an uncommon but frequent visitor to Alaska’s Aleutians and the Bering Sea region but has been seen only very occasionally elsewhere in North America. 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). within the nominate subspecies, males average 3.2 kg (7.1 lb), and females average 2.84 kg (6.3 lb). The bill at the bottom is black and top, with an orange band in the middle; the legs and feet are also bright oranges. Another similar, closely related goose has been reported in Washington, The Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhyncus).
The Taiga Bean Goose is one among the few declining goose populations within the Western Palearctic. The voice may be a loud honking, higher pitched within the smaller subspecies. The closely related pink-footed goose (A. brachyrhynchus) has the bill short, bright pink within the middle, and therefore the feet also pink, the upper wing-coverts being nearly of the identical bluish-grey as within the goose. The Pink-footed Goose breeds along the geographic area of Greenland, on Iceland, and on Svalbard, winters in Great Britain and other countries around the North Sea, and maybe a rare vagrant to Atlantic Canada and therefore the northeastern United States. The taiga bean goose is a rare British winter visitor. Two daily wintering flocks of taiga bean goose are to be found in Yare Valley, Norfolk, and Avon Valley, Scotland. There is no longer a previously daily flock in Dumfries and Galloway. The taiga bean geese Anser fabalis fabalis wintering in Europe is known to migrate through three separate flyways: Southern, Central, and Eastern; supported by stable flight feather analysis of the isotopes. Nevertheless, both legal and illegal harvesting is known to have a major effect on both survival and reproductive rates for adults. The loss, fragmentation, and degradation of suitable habitat because of forestry, infrastructure development, and other human-related factors are considered significant threats to Taiga Bean Geese.
