BLACK SEA BSANT 237 



Black Sea Brant 



Branta nigricans (Lawrence) 



Other names — Sea Brant; Black Brant; Eskimo Goose; Bernicla nigricans; 

 Bernicla irenta. 



Description — Adults, both sexes: "Whole forepart of body including head, 

 neck, breast and forepart of back, solidly black, except for incomplete white 

 collar at base of neck; small narrow streaks of white run forward from this 

 collar onto front and sides of neck; iris dark brown; bill black; back brown, 

 abruptly defined against black in front, and each feather narrowly edged with 

 lighter brown; middle of rump blackish brown; sides of rump and longer 

 upper tail coverts pure white; tail black; outer surface of closed wing like 

 back; flight feathers dull black; under surface of wing and axillars, brown; 

 under surface of body slaty brown, feathers of sides and flanks broadly tipped 

 with dull white; area in front of and behind vent, and under tail coverts, pure 

 white; legs and feet black. Males: total length 23.75-25.50 inches (604-647 

 mm.) (ten specimens); folded wing 12.40-13.40 (315-340); bill along culmeu 

 1.25-1.41 (31.8-35.7); tarsus 2.14-2.48 (54.4-63.0) (nine specimens from Cali- 

 fornia and Alaska). Females: total length 22.50-24.00 (572-610) (nine speci- 

 mens from California and Alaska) ; folded wing 11.90-12.65 (302-321) ; bill along 

 culmeu 1.20-1.33 (30.4^33.9) ; tarsus 2.16-2.46 (54.7-62.4) (eight specimens from 

 California). Juvenile plumage: Similar to that of adults but with white collar 

 entirely lacking; general tone of coloration more grayish, especially on darker 

 parts; secondaries, scapulars, and wing coverts tipped with dull white; feathers 

 of lower surface faintly tipped with lighter color. Natal plumage: General 

 tone of color light leaden brown, darkest on top of head and back and lightest 

 (nearly white) on throat and middle of belly; a dark band across breast and 

 light collar around hind neck at level of throat; entirely lacks any of the 

 greenish or yellowish tinge found in other American species of geese. 



Marks for field identification — Moderately small size (for a goose), with 

 very dark coloration. Head and neck black, with white collar about front of 

 neck; sides of rump white, bill and feet black. Flies in undulating course, 

 close to water. 



Voice — A low guttural gr-r-r-r-r, uttered when at rest or in flight (Nelson, 

 1887, p. 88); a mellow cronk, cronTc, cronlc (Dawson, 1909, p. 836). 



Nest — On marshy ground; a simple depression, abundantly lined with down. 



Eggs — 4 to 8, elongate ovate in shape, measuring in inches, 2.64 to 3.09 by 1.75 

 to 1.97 (in millimeters, 67.0 to 78.5 by 44.5 to 50.0), and averaging 2.82 by 1.85 

 (71.5 by 47.0) (fifty eggs in TJ. S. National Museum) ; color grayish white 

 (Eeed, 1904, p. 86). 



General distribution — Western North America and eastern Asia. In North 

 America breeds on Arctic coast and islands from Point Barrow east to near 

 mouth of Anderson Eiver, north probably to Melville Island; winters on Pacific 

 coast from British Columbia south to San Quintin Bay, Lower California 

 (modified from A. O. IT. Check-list, 1910, p. 87). 



Distribution in California — Abundant winter visitant in former years to 

 Humboldt, Bodega, Tomales, San Francisco, Morro, and San Diego bays. Now 

 occurs in numbers only on Humboldt and Tomales bays. Occasionally reported 

 at other places along the coast such as: Point Pinos, Monterey County (Beck, 

 1910, p. 69); and San Pedro, Los Angeles County, and near Newport, Orange 



