Photo:HobbyfotowikiCC0
Waterfowl
Bean goose
Anser fabalis
- Group
- Waterfowl
- Size class
- Small (under 10 kg)
- Family
- Anatidae
Range
- Europe
- Asia
Habitat
- Farmland
Range
Countries it is found in
51 countries
- Albania
- Austria
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- China
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
Range from:Wikipedia country bird lists, GBIF occurrence records — read 2026-08-05
Chapter 01
Overview
The taiga bean goose (Anser fabalis) breeds in northern Europe and Asia and migrates south to winter in Europe and Asia. It and the tundra bean goose have been recognised as separate species by the International Ornithologists' Union and the American Ornithological Society since 2007, though some authorities still treat them as one. Both the English and the scientific name come from the bird's old habit of grazing bean-field stubble in winter: Anser is Latin for goose, and fabalis from faba, the broad bean.
Chapter 02
Identification
Length runs 68 to 90 cm, wingspan 140 to 174 cm, and weight 1.7 to 4 kg; in the nominate subspecies males average 3.2 kg and females 2.84 kg. The bill is the mark: black at base and tip with an orange band across the middle, and the legs and feet are bright orange too. The upper wing-coverts are dark brown. Three subspecies are recognised, with complex variation in body and bill size and pattern — size generally increases from north to south and from west to east.
On the table
Meat & cooking
Table grade 5 of 55/5
- Sold as meat in a legal market
- Has a named traditional dish
- Published way to handle and cook it
- Eaten in more than one country
- No known health advisory
Traditional preparations
- Roast goose
- Wild goose is roasted whole or the breast taken off and cooked rare; the bird is far leaner than a farmed goose and dries out quickly. Roast goose — Wikipedia
- Confit and rillettes
- Legs and tougher cuts are traditionally preserved in fat, which suits a bird that has flown a long way. Confit — Wikipedia
Sources
Sources: Taiga bean goose — Wikipedia — read 2026-08-05
Cross-reference
Related species
Its closest relatives in the compendium, nearest kinship first.
Waterfowl
Greylag goose
Anser anser
Same genus (Anser)
Waterfowl
Greater white-fronted goose
Anser albifrons
Same genus (Anser)
Waterfowl
Pink-footed goose
Anser brachyrhynchus
Same genus (Anser)
Waterfowl
Snow goose
Anser caerulescens
Same genus (Anser)
Waterfowl
Ross’s goose
Anser rossii
Same genus (Anser)
Waterfowl
Canada goose
Branta canadensis
Same subfamily (Anserinae)