Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Mayes E. (1991) The winter ecology of Greenland White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons flavirostris on seminatural grassland and intensive farmland. ARDEA 79 (2): 295-304
The autumn and winter diet of Greenland White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons flavirostris contains a significant proportion of non-leaf material. It is improbable that geese can remain in energy balance by grazing in December and January because of short day-length and the high fibre content of grass at this time. On intensive farmland the grass diet is supplemented by stubble grains and root crops when available. On semi-natural grassland the selection of roots and stolons is likely to be related to the rate at which they can be harvested. There appear to be no overall differences between intensive farmland and semi-natural grassland in terms of food quality. However, flocks on intensive farmland are buffered against energy lost through disturbance when highly digestible root crops and stubble grains are available. Modification of semi-natural grassland sites through drainage and intensification of agriculture is likely to be disadvantageous to geese unless arable land becomes available to them.


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