The Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus) is one of Europe's most threatened bird species and one of its most intensively protected geese. It closely resembles the White-fronted Goose but is markedly smaller and daintier, standing 53–66 cm long with a wingspan of about 115–135 cm and a weight of 1.3–2.3 kg. It has a shorter, more delicate bill and a rounder head, and the white blaze on its forehead is large, reaching up above the eyes in adults — further than on the White-fronted Goose. Its most conspicuous mark is a bright yellow eye-ring, which the White-fronted Goose lacks entirely; the wings are also long, projecting past the tip of the tail on a standing bird. The call is a shrill, squeaky, fairly high-pitched "klju-ju", noticeably lighter and more piping than the White-fronted Goose's coarser cackle.
The species breeds in the far north of Fennoscandia and eastward through Siberia, but the world population has declined severely over the past century. In Sweden it is extremely scarce, occurring mainly in the Lapland mountains as part of a long-running reintroduction and conservation project centred on the Arjeplog and Ammarnäs area, and it is red-listed as strongly threatened; a few birds also rest on coastal meadows in southern Sweden during migration. It nests on mountain mires and heaths near water, where the female lays 4–6 eggs and incubates them for about four weeks while the male guards nearby; the precocial young follow their parents to feeding grounds soon after hatching, and the family stays together through the first autumn and winter. It is entirely herbivorous, grazing grass, sedges and other soft plant growth on mires and wet heaths during the breeding season and on meadows and pastures while migrating.
Read about this species in Swedish →