Fox A.D. & Gitay H. (1991) Breeding success in Greenland Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis wintering on Islay, Scotland. ARDEA 79 (2): 359-363

This article attempts to explain the annual fluctuations in breeding success amongst Greenland Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis, reflected in the proportion of juveniles in the population wintering on Islay, Scotland. In spite of considerable changes in population size, the numbers of successfully breeding pairs is directly related to the size of the breeding population. This suggests that density-dependent factors are not yet operating on recruitment. Breeding success is strongly correlated with meterorological conditions. Multiple regression analysis shows that up to 60% of the variance can be explained by weather conditions in early spring in Scotland, in Iceland during staging and in Greenland on arrival.