According to the latest coordinated bird census in Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria, the globally threatened red-breasted geese have not yet returned to their usual wintering area - Shabla and Durankulak lakes on Bulgaria’s northern Black Sea coast because of the high winter temperatures. Normally, the entire population of Europe’s and Asia’smost beautiful wild goose speciesBranta ruficollis, which amounts to about 50,000 birds, spends the winter in the wetlands of Dobrudzha area and can be observed in Bulgaria and Romania from November until March. Its body length reaches 56 cm and the wingspan - up to 135 cm. This is the only goose species with colorful plumage, which makes it extremely beautiful and attractive.

In the last days of 2020, however, only about 18,000 red-breasted geese were observed, most of them in Romania. About 130 representatives of the rare birds were spotted along the Danube River - in Svishtov-Belene area, the wetlands near Bourgas and in Dobrudzha area near the Black Sea coast.