A grey and buff-brown goose with a round, dark head, short neck, stubby bill and extensive mid-grey on the upperwing; distinctive calls help identify flocks; pale chest and very dark head visible at long range.

Perhaps the most attractive of the grey geese, this is a neatly turned-out, subtly beautiful bird. Its large flocks are the essence of ‘wild geese’ – hard to approach but familiar in many regions where migrating flocks are symbols of the passing seasons.