Branta

These are black geese.

They have dark feet and heads. They also have dark bills. Many of them have white marks on their necks.

Most of these birds live near the coast. Some fly to warmer lands in the winter. They are often smaller than other geese. One kind lives in the islands of Hawaii.

These birds are very special to see.

Black geese belong to a group called Branta.

These birds have dark feet and dark bills. Most species have large black areas on their heads and necks. Many also have white marks to help tell them apart.

These marks can even be a pale ochre color.

Most black geese live near coasts. They fly to warmer places in the winter. Some live in the Hawaiian Islands. One kind is the nēnē. It has very little black and no white on its neck.

Other black geese live in North America and the Palearctic. The Palearctic is a large region in the north.

Scientists study these birds to learn their history. A man named Giovanni Antonio Scopoli named the group in 1769. The name comes from an old word for "burnt goose." This is because of their dark colors. Some black geese are smaller than other geese. But some very large ones exist. They can be as big as a swan goose.

Black geese are a special group of birds called Branta.

These birds belong to the subfamily Anserinae. This group includes true geese and swans. You can tell them apart from other geese by their dark legs. Their feet are usually black or very dark grey. They also have black bills and dark patches on their necks.

Many species have white markings on their heads. These marks help people identify different types. Some markings might even look like a pale ochre color.

These birds live in many different places around the world. Most live in northern coastal areas of the Palearctic. They are also found all over North America. Many of these geese migrate to warmer coasts in the winter. Some live in the Hawaiian Islands all year. The nēnē is a unique bird from Hawaii. It has very little black on its body. It also lacks the white markings found on other species. In New Zealand, there is a group of Canada geese living there too.

A man named Giovanni Antonio Scopoli named this group in 1769. He was a naturalist from Austria. The name Branta comes from an Old Norse word. It means "burnt goose." This name describes their dark, burnt colors.

Scientists continue to study these birds today. In 2016, a team led by Ottenburghs published a study. This study helped show how the different species are related to each other. They use these facts to build a family tree for the birds.

There are six living species in the Branta genus. Scientists have also found bones from birds that lived long ago.

In the Hawaiian Islands, two extinct species once lived. One was called the wood-walking goose. Another was the giant Hawaii goose. Researchers found its bones after looking at a skeleton damaged by lava. In 1970, a man named Lester Short thought it was a shelduck. However, newer studies have changed how we see these birds. Many fossils have also been found in places like Arizona and Greece.

Black geese are often smaller than other types of geese. However, some large species can rival the swan goose in size.

Most black geese stay near the ocean. This is different from grey geese, which can live further inland. You can see how these birds fit into the world by watching them move. They follow paths between the cold north and warmer coasts. Their dark colors and unique feet make them easy to spot in the wild.

The genus *Branta* consists of a group of waterfowl known as black geese. These birds belong to the Anserinae subfamily, which includes true geese and swans.

They are distinct from other true geese due to specific physical traits. Most notably, they possess black or very dark grey legs and feet. They also feature black bills and large dark areas on their heads and necks. Many species also display white or ochre markings on these dark areas. These markings serve as important tools for scientists to identify different species.

Identifying a *Branta* species involves looking closely at specific color patterns. While most have white markings, the nēnē is a notable exception. The nēnē lives in the Hawaiian Islands and lacks white on its head or neck. It also has much less black coloration than its relatives. Because of these unique traits, it was once placed in a different genus called *Nesochen*.

Other geese, like the swan goose, may have black bills but possess reddish-orange legs. This difference in leg color helps researchers confirm that the swan goose is not a member of *Branta*. Most geese also share the trait of having white undertail and uppertail coverts.

These birds occupy diverse geographic ranges across the globe. Many species live in the northern coastal regions of the Palearctic. Others are found throughout North America.

During the winter, many of these birds migrate to more southerly coasts. Some, like the nēnē, remain in the Hawaiian Islands as resident birds. In New Zealand, a self-sustaining feral population exists. This population actually comes from introduced Canada geese.

In Eurasia, *Branta* species tend to stay near the coast. This differs from the genus *Anser*, or grey geese, which can live much further inland.

The scientific history of this genus began in 1769. An Austrian naturalist named Giovanni Antonio Scopoli introduced the name *Branta*. The name is a Latinized version of the Old Norse word *Brandgás*. This term translates to "burnt goose," referring to the dark colors of the birds.

Since then, scientists have worked to map their complex family trees. In 2016, a study by Ottenburghs and colleagues established the phylogenetic relationships between the species. This research helps us understand how different species evolved from common ancestors.

There are currently six living species within the *Branta* genus. While most are smaller than other geese, some large taxa exist. These large birds can rival the size of the swan goose or the black-necked swan.

The fossil record also provides a deep look into their past. Several fossil species have been described from different eras. These include *Branta woolfendeni* from the Late Miocene of Arizona and *Branta thessaliensis* from Greece. Other fossils, such as *Branta dickeyi*, date to the Late Pliocene and Late Pleistocene of the western United States.

Prehistoric history in the Hawaiian Islands reveals even more about these birds. Two extinct species once lived there, known from subfossil remains. One was the *Branta hylobadistes*, also called the wood-walking goose. The other was the giant Hawaii goose, or *Branta rhuax*.

The history of *B. rhuax* was once very confusing. Scientists originally studied a skeleton that had been damaged by a lava flow. In 1970, Lester Short proposed it might be related to shelducks. However, reexamination of the bones in 2013 confirmed it belonged to the *Branta* genus.

Understanding *Branta* helps scientists connect different parts of the natural world. Studying their fossils allows researchers to track how birds moved across land and sea over millions of years. The discovery of bones on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu suggests a complex history of waterfowl in the Pacific. Some remains even hint at the presence of gigantic waterfowl that are difficult to classify. By studying these birds, we learn how climate, geography, and even volcanic activity shape the life of a species.