Comment identifier l’Oie naine et où l’observer en Europe ?

The Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus) is a small goose closely related to the Greater White-fronted Goose (A. albifrons). It breeds in Siberia, with a declining remnant population in Scandinavia. During the 20th century the populations of Lesser White-fronted Goose were dramatically reduced at breeding sites, wintering areas and along migration zones, but there’s a reintroduction program in Fennoscandia.
There are different tips to identify it: a dark grey-brown plumage, a small and short pink bill, wings outstriping tail’s edge when they are closed, a white front rising up to the crown (only in adults) and a yellow eye-ring. But it’s not always easy to locate one when it is mixed in a large flock of Larger White-fronted Geese, above all if you have never seen one before.
While a group of seven Lesser White-fronted Goose was discovered the 28th of december 2017 by Vincent Palomares on the lake of Der, Eastern France, we enumerate the field criteria to identify this species in the field and we propose you a selection of the best European sites in Europe to find it.
We thank Pavel Simeonov (Branta Tours company), Gil Vaillant, Vincent Palomares and Olivier Paris for their photos.