Distinguishing between male and female Egyptian geese can be a challenge. One way to tell them apart is by their sound. Males make a raspy hiss, while females produce a cackling sound. Although they are not terribly vocal, when they are feeling aggressive or stressed they will make a great deal of noise.
The males are quite aggressive when mating. Each male performs a noisy and elaborate courtship display, emitting unusually loud honking noises.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
As the most widely distributed member of their family in Africa, Egyptian geese seem to be managing quite well. Due to the increased availability of water in Southern Africa, numbers have gone up in the past few years. Egyptian geese are listed as Appendix III by CITES.
CITES: appendix iii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: no special status
Due to the large numbers of Egyptian geese in southern Africa, farmers have been known to complain about attacks on their crops. Groups of geese graze on young, sprouting plants, causing great damage to the farmer's crops.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Alopochen aegyptiacus are not hunted by many people because they live in such remote locations, but some farmers may shoot at them to scare them away from their agricultural fields. Egyptian Geese may also aid in decreasing pest populations around lakes or fields.
Positive Impacts: food ; controls pest population
Since these geese tend to eat much of their food on land, they help disperse seeds, break up soil and decompose dead plants.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds; biodegradation ; soil aeration
Egyptian geese are mainly herbivores, they eat young grass from grasslands or savannahs, grains (particularly wheat) from agricultural fields, and soft vegetation like leaves and other detritus. Many tend to forage away from the water in pastures or arable land. Part of their diet includes a wide variety of small insects, terrestrial worms and frogs that live in nearby ponds.
Animal Foods: amphibians; insects; terrestrial worms
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Granivore )
Alopochen aegyptiaca is widely distributed throughout its native range, Africa, and southern Europe. It is especially common in southern Africa, below the Sahara and in the Nile Valley. In the 18th century, Alopochen aegyptiaca was introduced into Great Britain, and a substantial population still thrives there today. Currently Alopochen aegyptiaca is colonizing the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Introduced , Native ); ethiopian (Native )
Egyptian geese will not populate densely wooded areas, though they can be found in meadows, grasslands, and agricultural fields. Most of their time is spent in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands. They can be found as high as 4000 m.
Range elevation: 4000 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams
Wetlands: marsh ; swamp ; bog
Other Habitat Features: agricultural ; riparian
The lifespan of Alopochen aegyptiacus in the wild has not been documented. At the Woodland Park Zoo, an Egyptian goose lived for fourteen years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 14 (high) years.
Egyptian geese have long necks, long pink legs, a pink bill and brown eye patches encircling each eye. They are distinguished from closely related species by a brown patch in the middle of the chest. The upper wings and the head are brown, while the rest of the body is light brown. The underside of the wings is white and green. Juveniles do not have the brown eye patches or a patch on the chest.
Egyptian geese are anywhere from 63 to 73 cm in height and they can weigh from 1.5 to 2.3 kg. The wingspan is fairly large, measuring 38 cm, on average.
Distinguishing between males and females can be a challenge. The females are smaller than the males, but otherwise both sexes look alike. One way to tell them apart is by their sound. Males make a raspy hiss, while females produce a cackling sound. Although they are not terribly vocal, when they are feeling aggressive or stressed they will make a great deal of noise.
Range mass: 1500 to 2250 g.
Range length: 73 to 63 cm.
Range wingspan: 35 to 40 cm.
Average wingspan: 38 cm.
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; male larger
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Egyptian geese swim, travel and feed in flocks. Living in flocks may be a defense against predators since there are more individuals present to look out for predators and give a warning.
Predators include: lions (Panthera leo), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), hyenas (subfamily Hyaenidae), crocodiles (genus Crocodylus) and vultures (family Accipitridae).
Known Predators:
The males are quite aggressive when mating. Each male performs a noisy and elaborate courtship display, emitting unusually loud honking noises. Under normal circumstances, Egyptian geese are reserved, quiet animals, but during mating season they are just the opposite. A male will act in this manner in order to attract a female. Since Egyptian geese are monogamous, one male and one female nest alone in dense vegetation, holes, or simply on the ground.
Mating System: monogamous
Egyptian geese breed in the spring or at the end of the dry season (The breeding season is anywhere from July to March, depending on the area). At the age of two, Alopochen aeygptiacus reach sexual maturity. Nest locations are usually near water for safety and near grassland for feeding; the nests are made out of feathers and vegetation and are located in dense vegetation, holes, or simply on the ground. Pairs sometimes find nests on the ground or use deserted nests of other larger bird species (such as Buteo buteo (common buzzard) or Pica pica (black-billed magpie)), which can be located in trees or on high ledges. The male goose fertilizes the female internally. Five to twelve eggs are laid, and they are incubated for 28 to 30 days. The young fledge in 70 days.
Breeding interval: Egyptian Geese breed just once each year.
Breeding season: The majority breed in the spring or at the end of the dry season. The breeding season is anywhere from July to March, depending on the area.
Range eggs per season: 5 to 12.
Range time to hatching: 28 to 30 days.
Average fledging age: 70 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization ; oviparous
Incubation lasts from 28 to 30 days and is done by both parents. The father protects the eggs and chicks, while the mother guides them and keeps them close to her. The chicks are precocial.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; precocial ; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Protecting: Male, Female)
The Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) is a member of the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. It is native to Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile Valley.
Egyptian geese were considered sacred by the Ancient Egyptians, and appeared in much of their artwork. Because of their popularity chiefly as an ornamental bird, escapees are common and feral populations have become established in Western Europe, the United States, and New Zealand.[2]
The Egyptian goose is believed to be most closely related to the shelducks (genus Tadorna) and their relatives, and is placed with them in the subfamily Tadorninae. It is the only extant member of the genus Alopochen, which also contains closely related prehistoric and recently extinct species. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data suggest that the relationships of Alopochen to Tadorna need further investigation.[3]
The generic name Alopochen (literally, fox-goose) is based on Greek ἀλωπός (alōpós, also ἀλώπηξ alōpēx), "fox", and χήν (chēn) "goose", referring to the ruddy colour of its back. The word χήν : chēn is grammatically of either masculine or feminine gender.
The species name aegyptiacus (or aegyptiaca) is from the Latin Aegyptiacus, "Egyptian".[4]
It swims well and in flight looks heavy, more like a goose than a duck, hence the English name.[5] It is 63–73 cm (25–29 in) long.
The sexes of this species are identical in plumage but the males average slightly larger. There is a fair amount of variation in plumage tone, with some birds greyer and others browner, but this is not sex- or age-related. A large part of the wings of mature birds is white, but in repose the white is hidden by the wing coverts. When it is aroused, either in alarm or aggression, the white begins to show. In flight or when the wings are fully spread in aggression, the white is conspicuous.[6]
The voices and vocalisations of the sexes differ, the male having a hoarse, subdued duck-like quack which seldom sounds unless it is aroused. The male Egyptian goose attracts its mate with an elaborate, noisy courtship display that includes honking, neck stretching and feather displays.[7] The female has a far noisier raucous quack that frequently sounds in aggression and almost incessantly at the slightest disturbance when tending her young.[8]
This species breeds widely in Africa except in deserts and dense forests, and is locally abundant. They are found mostly in the Nile Valley and south of the Sahara. While not breeding, it disperses somewhat, sometimes making longer migrations northwards into the arid regions of the Sahel.[6] It spread to Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy where there are self-sustaining populations which are mostly derived from escaped ornamental birds.[9] Escapees have also bred on occasion in other places, such as Texas,[10][11] Florida,[10] California,[10] and New Zealand.[9]
The British population dates back to the 18th century, though only formally added to the British list in 1971.[12] In Great Britain, it is found mainly in East Anglia, and in various locations along the River Thames,[13][14] where it breeds at sites with open water, short grass and suitable nesting locations (either islands, holes in old trees or amongst epicormic shoots on old trees). During the winter, they are widely dispersed within river valleys, where they feed on short grass and cereals.[15][16] In the United Kingdom in 2009, it was officially declared a non-native species. Accordingly, Egyptian geese in Great Britain may be shot without special permission if they cause problems.[17]
In Europe, the species has been included since 2017 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list).[18] This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, used, exchanged or intentionally released into the environment and member states are obliged to try to eradicate the species.[19]
This is a largely terrestrial species, which will also perch readily on trees and buildings. Egyptian geese typically eat seeds, leaves, grasses and plant stems. Occasionally, they will eat locusts, worms, or other small animals. Until the goslings are a few weeks old and strong enough to graze, they feed largely on small aquatic invertebrates, especially freshwater plankton. As a result, if anoxic conditions lead to the production of botulinum toxin and it gets passed up the food chain via worms and insect larvae insensitive to the toxin, entire clutches of goslings feeding on such prey may die. The parents, who do not eat such organisms to any significant extent, generally remain unaffected.
Both sexes are aggressively territorial towards their own species when breeding and frequently pursue intruders into the air, attacking them in aerial "dogfights".[8] Egyptian geese have been observed attacking aerial objects such as drones that enter their habitat as well. Neighbouring pairs may even kill another's offspring for their own offsprings' survival, as well as for more resources.[20]
This species will nest in a large variety of situations, especially in holes in mature trees in parkland. The female builds the nest from reeds, leaves and grass and both parents take turns incubating the eggs.[7] Egyptian geese usually pair for life. Both the male and female care for the offspring until they are old enough to care for themselves.[20] Such parental care, however, does not include foraging for the young, who, being precocial, forage for themselves.
In their native range, predators of Egyptian geese include leopards,[21] lions, cheetahs, hyenas, crocodiles and Old World vultures.[22]
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Gosling
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Goslings
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Female from the front
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Male (left) herding one of his females (right)
Immature birds
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Subadult
In flight
Head
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Front
Alopochen aegyptiacus eggs
Egyptian geese in Gauteng, South Africa
The Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) is a member of the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. It is native to Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile Valley.
Egyptian geese were considered sacred by the Ancient Egyptians, and appeared in much of their artwork. Because of their popularity chiefly as an ornamental bird, escapees are common and feral populations have become established in Western Europe, the United States, and New Zealand.
