# Red-breasted goose (*Branta ruficollis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-breasted-goose  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis) is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a medium-sized bird with a representative adult body mass of 1.226 kg, and reported values range from 1.094 kg to 1.375 kg. A migratory, terrestrial herbivore, it lives in grassland and has a geographic range of 754,100 km². It lays one clutch per year of 5.5 eggs (up to 6.5), incubated for 25 days, and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.09 kg – 1.38 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Egg incubation | 25 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.5 – 6.5 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Branta
- species: *Branta ruficollis* (Pallas, 1769)

Synonyms: *Anser ruficollis*, *Rufibrenta ruficollis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the red-breasted goose?

The red-breasted goose is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, classified in the family Anatidae and the order Anseriformes.

### How heavy is the red-breasted goose?

Its representative adult body mass is 1.226 kg, with reported values from 1.094 kg to 1.375 kg.

### What does the red-breasted goose eat?

The red-breasted goose is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the red-breasted goose live in?

It lives in grassland and has a terrestrial lifestyle.

### Is the red-breasted goose endangered?

The red-breasted goose is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How many eggs does the red-breasted goose lay?

It lays 5.5 eggs per clutch, with up to 6.5 reported, and has one clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 25 days.

### Does the red-breasted goose migrate?

Yes, the red-breasted goose is migratory.

### Who named the red-breasted goose?

The scientific name Branta ruficollis is attributed to (Pallas, 1769).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-breasted-goose