Bird Who flies in V formations : Goose

 Cute from a distance, but a bit more intimidating up close, geese are an easily recognizable bird. Those of us who have come into close contact with a goose know that once they get angered and start to honk, the nipping will begin. While it may be easy to see these loud and messy birds as a pest, they’re actually quite a popular pet amongst many people. 

Goose Scientific Name

Closely related to ducks, swans, and other waterfowl, these birds belong to the family of Anatidae, which appears to derive from the Latin anas for a duck. “Goose” is not really a single classification at all. Instead, it is generally defined as any member of two different genera: Anser, which includes the grey and white geese, and Branta, which includes the black geese.

There are some 16 or 17 recognized species, including the Canada, the barnacle, the white-fronted, the snow, the swan goose, and the brant. Several more species (among them the magpie and the pygmy goose) are not true geese at all, despite their names.

                 During its migration, the goose flies in V formations to conserve energy.

  Goose: The Bird’s Size, Appearance & Behavior

These birds are very recognizable due to their plump body, slender neck, and a humped bill that tapers at the end of the mouth. Although physically similar to the closely related swan, they usually exhibit grey or black feathers all over its smaller body with a black or orange bill. The terms gray, white, and black goose generally refers to the color of the neck and head (the black goose has an additional white mark around the chin as well). The largest species are Canadian geese, which weighs in at about 14 pounds and reaches some 43 inches in length. The male gander tends to be slightly larger than the female, but the sexes are otherwise similar in color and appearance.

The social life of these birds revolves around large flocks called gaggles (though in the air they’re called skeins). When defending against threats or interacting with other members, these flocks are a loud cacophony of honks and cries. Sometimes, when they are particularly angry, they will vibrate their neck feathers in defiance. After triumphing over a foe, they will emit a kind of victory cry as well. As members of the waterfowl family, these birds are obviously excellent swimmers and flyers, but the more forward position of their feet compared with swans and ducks also makes them better walkers as well.

Geese are able to sleep while staying alert by shutting down one half of their brain. This is called the unihemispheric method and is shared with other animals like dolphins.

Goose Facts

• Geese domestication was a somewhat common job or pastime in Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. The Roman naturalist Pliny (200s AD) once told an amusing anecdote of a pet goose that was inseparable from its owner. Today most domesticated birds are descended from the graylag, the swan goose, and a few other species for the purpose of cultivating their feathers (which end up in quilts, pillows, and coats) or meat and paste (most commonly in foie gras). They have been artificially selected for polygamous behavior to improve their reproductive efficiency.
• The goose is a bird that has made an indelible mark on human culture as a harbinger of the winter and an important component of numerous idioms and phrases. “Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs” is a reference to one of Aesop’s Fables as a warning against greedy behavior.
• Fossils of these birds have been found dating back some 10 to 12 million years ago.
• The term goose can refer to not just the bird itself, but also the adult female specifically. She’s sometimes called a hen to avoid confusion. An adult male is generally referred to as a gander.

Where to Find the Goose

The goose is a bird that has evolved over millions of years to live near the freshwater rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams of Europe, Asia, and North America. Most species prefer temperate or Arctic climates, but the Hawaiian species is an obvious exception since it lives in tropical climates.

Goose Nests

The bird’s nest is a very simple construction of leaves, grass, twigs, mosses, and lichen in the ground, sometimes near an elevated area.

Goose Migration Timing and Pattern

These birds migrate in V formations, which allow them to conserve energy by taking advantage of the air currents created by the wings of those ahead of them. This is why they constantly trade places: the bird at the front expend more energy than the bird toward the back. Migratory patterns vary by species. Canada geese, for instance, travel as far south as Mexico and the Southern United States in the winter, sometimes up to 3,000 miles along a single route. Hawaiian geese (also called the nene) remain mostly within the island chain of their birth all year round.

Hawaiian geese

Canada geese

Goose Diet: A Herbivorous Bird

These birds are mostly herbivorous grazers; the bill and mouth specially adapted for grasping and tearing at vegetation.

What does the goose eat?

The bird’s diet consists of sedges, grasses, grains, seeds, and aquatic plants. It will only sometimes resort to insects and fish.

Goose Predators and Threats

These birds sometimes face threats from hunting, habitat loss, and predation (both natural and introduced species). These threats tend to be localized, however, and affect each population differently, rather than all geese as a whole.

What eats the goose?

Adult birds only have a few natural predators, including coyotes, bobcats, and humans. But eggs and juveniles make a tempting target for skunks, foxes, raccoons, crows, snakes, hawks, snapping turtles, and almost any other carnivorous animal of decent size. Since only the largest carnivores want to tussle with a full-sized goose, most of them resort to subterfuge and guile.

Goose: The Bird’s Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

These birds form lifelong monogamous bonds with a single partner. Together they produce a single clutch of white eggs (usually up to 10, depending on the species) in the spring breeding season. If one of the birds dies, then the surviving mate will find pair up with someone else within the same season.

Once she lays the eggs, the female has sole responsibility to incubate them, while the male gander stands guard to protect against threats. Emerging from the egg with downy feathers, the gosling has the ability to fend for itself almost immediately, but it remains under the protection of the parents for the first summer of its life. The parents will lead the goslings in a single file line and hiss at anything that approaches. Geese have a life expectancy of around 10 to 15 years, but they have been known to live some 30 years in captivity.

Goose Population

According to the IUCN Red List, most geese species are considered to be least concern, perhaps because they are rarely hunted enough to be threatened directly. Of the 16 or so true geese species, only the swan, the red-breasted, the Hawaiian, and white-fronted goose are vulnerable, while the emperor goose is near threatened.