| Taiga Bean Goose | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Anser |
| Species: | Anser fabalis |
The Taiga Bean Goose (Anser fabalis) is a goose that breeds in Scandinavia, part of the Urals and most of Siberian taiga. This and the Tundra Bean Goose are considered separate species by the American Ornithological Society and the International Ornithologists' Union, but are considered conspecific (under the name of Bean Goose) by other authors.
Subspecies and Breeding Distribution[]
There are three subspecies, with variation in size and bill features, of the Taiga Bean Goose:
- A. f. fabalis breeds in Scandinavia east to the Urals. This one is relatively large, with a narrow neck and more orange on the bill than the subspecies below.
- A. f. johanseni breeds in the West Siberian taiga. The subspecies has a longer, dark bill with little orange.
- A. f. middendorffii breeds in the East Siberian taiga, with an even longer bill with also little orange.
Description[]
The Taiga Bean Goose and the Tundra Bean Goose are very similar birds. The length varies from 68 to 90 cm, wingspan 140 to 174 cm and mass from 1.7 to 4 kg. The Taiga Bean goose is on average larger than the Tundra Bean Goose, has a longer, slender neck, a wedge-shaped head and a dark bill with little orange.
Voice[]
It has a loud honking call, higher in pitch in smaller subspecies.