Habitat
In low arctic, nests near upper edge of salt marshes along gently sloping seacoasts or broad estuarine deltas with abundant low graminoid vegetation. Breeds on coastal tundra, in low and barren terrain; on islands, deltas, lakes, and sandy areas among puddles and shallows, and in vegetated uplands.Often nest on islands in small ponds or river deltas, on small offshore islands, or on gravel spits. In mid and high arctic, nests near braided river valleys, deltas, and inland lakes (up to 30 km inland) (Reed et al. 1998). Typically rears broods in salt marsh <1 km from tidal areas (Sedinger and Flint 1991, Stickney and Ritchie 1996).
References
Reed, A., D. H. Ward, D. V. Derksen, and J. S. Sedinger. 1998. Brant (Branta bernicla). In The Birds of North America, Vol. 9, No. 337 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.
Sedinger, J. S. and P. L. Flint. 1991. Growth rate is negatively correlated with hatch date in Black Brant. Ecology 72: 496-502.
Stickney, A. A. and R. J. Ritchie. 1996. Distribution and abundance of brant (Branta bernicla) on the central arctic coastal plain of Alaska. Arctic 49: 44-52.
