I'm finally back working with my bird models ;) This species breeds on the northern coast of Russia and winters on the western coast of the Black Sea. It prefers tundra or scrubby 'wooded' tundra, in close proximity to rivers and gullies. It favors high and dry areas on steep river banks and precipices, low hills, rock outcrops and rocky islands. While there are still over 50,000 adult individuals, there is great concern over the future of this species with a decline of more than 50% of the population since the late 1990s. Deliberate hunting of birds occurs in Russia and Kazakhstan, and results from a recent tagging study suggest mortality owing to hunting could be very high - possibly up to 40%. Following land privatization, and especially the residential and tourist development boom in winter roosting and feeding areas, the quality of roosting areas has decreased. Climate change and associated habitat shifts are expected to impact negatively on this species and others dependent on tundra habitat for breeding. Modeling indicates that 67% of the habitat for this species could be lost by 2070. Rendered in Firefly without postwork. Models used include DinoRaul's Giant Firs, Flink's Skydome and of course my Songbird ReMix Waterfowl v5: Geese