Goose

? Geese
A Canada Goose
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Subfamily: Anserinae
Genera
Anser Branta Chen Cereopsis Cnemiornis( extinct) † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae

Goose (plural geese) is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes the swans, which are mostly larger than geese, and the ducks, which are smaller.

Introduction

This article deals with the true geese in the subfamily Anserinae. A number of other waterbirds, mainly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their name.

True geese are medium to large birds, always (with the exception of the Néné) associated to a greater or lesser extent with water. Most species in Europe, Asia and North America are strongly migratory as wild birds, breeding in the far north and wintering much further south. However, escapes and introductions have led to resident feral populations of several species.

Geese have been domesticated for centuries. In the West, farmyard geese are descended from the Greylag, but in Asia the swan goose has been farmed for at least as long.

All geese eat an exclusively vegetarian diet, and some can become pests when flocks feed on arable crops.

Geese tend to lay a smaller number of eggs than ducks. However, both parents protect the nest and young, which usually results in a higher survival rate for the young geese, known as goslings.

A group on the ground is called a gaggle. When flying, a group of geese is known as a wedge or a skein. See List of collective nouns for birds

True geese

The following are the true goose species.

Genus Anser Brisson 1760, Grey Geese

• Greylag Goose Anser anser
• White-fronted Goose A. albifrons
• Lesser White-fronted Goose A. erythropus
• Bean Goose A. fabalis
• Pink-footed Goose A. brachyrhynchus
• Bar-headed Goose A. indicus
• Swan Goose, A. cygnoides

Genus Chen Boie 1822 or Anser (depending on authority cited), White Geese

• Snow Goose Chen caerulescens or Anser caerulescens
• Ross's Goose, C. rossii or A. rossii
• Emperor Goose, C. canagica or A. canagicus

Genus Branta Scopoli 1769, Black Geese

• Brent Goose Branta bernicla
• Barnacle Goose B. leucopsis
• Canada Goose B. canadensis
• Cackling Goose B. hutchinsii
• Red-breasted Goose B. ruficollis
• Hawaiian Goose or Nēnē, B. sandvicensis
• Nēnē-nui or Woods-walking Goose, B. hylobadistes Conservation status: Prehistoric

Genus Cereopsis

• Cape Barren Goose, Cereopsis novaehollandiae

Genus Cnemiornis, New Zealand Geese Conservation status: Prehistoric

• South Island Goose, Cnemiornis calcitrans Conservation status: Prehistoric
• North Island Goose, Cnemiornis gracilis Conservation status: Prehistoric

Other species called "geese"

There are a number of mainly southern hemisphere birds named as geese which are more correctly placed with the shelducks in the Tadorninae. These are:

• Blue-winged Goose, Cyanochen cyanopterus
• Andean Goose, Chloephaga melanoptera
• Magellan Goose, Chloephaga picta
• Kelp Goose, Chloephaga hybrida
• Ashy-headed Goose, Chloephaga poliocephala
• Ruddy-headed Goose, Chloephaga rubidiceps
• Orinoco Goose, Neochen jubata
• Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiacus

The Spur-winged Goose, Plectropterus gambensis, is most closely related to the shelducks, but distinct enough to warrant its own subfamily, the Plectropterinae.

The three perching ducks in the genus Nettapus are named as pygmy geese, such as the Cotton Pygmy Goose, Nettapus javanica, but are true ducks.

The unusual Magpie-goose is in a family of its own, the Anseranatidae.

Etymology

Goose in its origins is one of the oldest words of the Indo-European languages, the modern names deriving from the proto-Indo-European root, ghans, hence Sanskrit hamsa (feminine hamsii), Latin anser, Greek khén etc.

In the Germanic languages, the root word led to Old English gos with the plural gés, German Gans and Old Norse gas. Other modern derivatives are Russian gus and Old Irish géiss; the family name of the cleric Jan Hus is derived from the Czech derivative husa.

In non-technical use, the male goose is called a "gander" (Anglo-Saxon gandra) and the female is the "goose" ( Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913))