Greater White-fronted Goose

Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) is a grey-brown goose with orange legs, a white forehead and irregular black bars across the adult belly. The combination of body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provides the most useful field characters. Age, sex and season can alter its appearance, so identification should use several features rather than colour alone. This supports comparison with similar species in the field (Wikipedia, general species account).

It grazes grasses, sedges and crops and breeds on Arctic tundra before migrating to marshes, lakes and farmland. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds more likely to gather where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant, visitor or introduced bird (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).