Length: 28-34 inches | Wingspan: 56-68 inches | Seasonality: Non-resident in South Dakota |
ID Keys: Dark bill with orange band near tip, plain overall, uniform grayish belly, slightly darker upperparts |
The
American Ornithologists Union recently split the more generic Bean Goose
into Taiga and Tundra species, based on breeding habitat. They are
still considered one species in Europe. Physical characteristics
between the two species are also slightly different, with the Taiga Bean
Goose having a broader orange band on the bill than the Tundra Bean Goose.
The Taiga Bean Goose is normally a bird of Europe and Asia. They breed
in northern parts of Eurasia, and typically winter near coastal areas of
northwest Europe, in southeast Asia, and elsewhere in Eurasia.
Bean Geese are considered vagrants in North America. However, they are
seen with some regularity in the Aleutians and other areas of Alaska, and
have also been seen elsewhere in North America, including areas as diverse
as Canada, the Salton Sea in California, and in Iowa.
Click below for a higher-resolution map |
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South Dakota Status: Non-resident in South Dakota. They are regular but rare visitors to portions of western Alaska (above). They also have appeared as vagrants in North America in areas as diverse as Iowa, California, and Canada |