Brant

Inuktitut name - Nirliq

Colour - head, neck, and breast black; neck with white spot on side; sides pale; rear conspicuously white

Length - 58 to 75 cm

Shape - heavy body and long neck

Behaviour - flocks are usually irregular in flight, not in a V-shaped formation; wing beats in flight are fairly rapid; voice is deep and loud honk, almost like a grunt; sits quite high in the water when swimming; diet consists mainly of plants; feeding occurs in shallow estuaries and lagoons

Distribution - large breeding colonies are present around Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin, and in Beaufort Sea (including Banks Island)

Sensitivity - see Sensitivity Information on the Birds - General Information page

Note - There are two distinct colour phases, the Black Brant of the western Arctic having black extending over the belly, and the birds in the east usually with black only on the breast.

Brant (61 KB)

Lancaster Sound Area Distribution Maps for Brant and Geese: Summer Scenario

Coronation Gulf Area Distribution Maps: See the Birds - General Information page.