Egyptian Geese
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The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) is member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae, and is the only extant member of the genus Alopochen. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data suggests that the relationships of Alopochen to Tadorna need further investigation (Sraml et al. 1996).
Egyptian geese were considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians, and appeared in much of their artwork.
The Egyptian Goose is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Two or three species of Alopochen from the Madagascar region have gone extinct in the last 1000 years or so:
- Mauritian Shelduck, A. mauritianus - Mauritius, late 1690s: The Mauritian Shelduck (Alopochen mauritianus) is an extinct species of goose from Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Egyptian Goose. Known from one or two subfossil carpometacarpus bones and a few descriptions, this bird was about the size of a Brent Goose. Its appearance is unknown, except that its wings showed the typical color pattern of shelducks. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Malagasy Shelduck (of, or belonging to, the same species); in this case it would become the nominate subspecies, as Alopochen mauritianus mauritianus. Sometimes even in scholarly sources[1] one can find references to a supposed "Mauritius Swan" or "Mauritius Comb Goose". These refer to the initial misidentification of the Alopochen mauritianus bones as belonging to the genus Sarkidiornis, but as early as 1897 the true nature of this bird was realized. Like its Réunion relative, the Mauritian Shelduck was rapidly hunted to extinction. Still reasonably plentiful in 1681, the population collapsed soon afterwards, and Leguat found "wild geese" to be "already rare" in 1693. In 1698, governor Deodati declared them to be extinct.
- Malagasy Shelduck or Madagascar Shelduck, Alopochen sirabensis (may be subspecies of A. mauritianus) - Madagascar, prehistoric
- Réunion Shelduck or Kervazo's Egyptian Goose, Alopochen kervazoi - Réunion, c.1690s: The Réunion Shelduck or Kervazo's Egyptian Goose (Alopochen kervazoi) is an extinct species of goose from Réunion. It was a close relative of the Egyptian Goose and was about the same size. There is only one description remaining, that of Dubois made in 1674. He merely mentions that they were similar to European geese but smaller, with the bill and feet being red. Apart from that, the species is only known from brief reports and subfossil bones. Waterfowl on Réunion were overhunted. As early as 1667, François Martin complained of unsustainable hunting. The last record of the species is a 1709 listing of de la Merveille who stated that ducks and geese occurred "in quantity", but as Feuilley had not listed waterfowl in his 1705 catalogue of Réunion's animals, de la Merveille's record is obviously based on obsolete hearsay information. Thus, the last record of the species appears to be the report of Père Bernardin in 1687. The species probably became extinct during the 1690s.
Distribution / Range:
This 63-73 cm long species breeds widely in Africa except deserts and dense forests, and is locally abundant. They are found mostly in the Nile Valley and south of the Sahara.
It is also introduced elsewhere:
- Europe: Great Britain and the Netherlands have self-sustaining feral populations, the former dating back to the 18th century, though only formally added to the British list in 1971. In Britain, it is found mainly in East Anglia, in parkland with lakes.
- USA: As the below photos seem to indicate, isolated populations of them can also be be found in the United States. The below photographs were taken at a pond in Illinois, USA by Deborah Jean Stockstill.
Breeding / Nesting:
This species will nest in a large variety of situations, especially in holes in mature trees in parkland. Egyptian Geese usually pair for life.
Description:
The sexes of this striking species are identical in plumage, though 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.
This is a largely terrestrial species, which will also perch readily on trees and buildings. It swims well, and in flight looks heavy, more like a goose than a duck, hence the English name.
References
- Sraml, M.; Christidis, L.; Easteal, S.; Horn, P. & Collet, C. (1996): Molecular Relationships Within Australasian Waterfowl (Anseriformes). Australian Journal of Zoology 44(1): 47-58. doi:10.1071/ZO9960047 (HTML abstract)
External links
- RSPB: Egyptian goose factsheet from The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Retrieved 2006-DEC-02.
- Egyptian goose information from Birds of Britain.
- Egyptian goose photos from Go Birding.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Diet / Feeding:
Egyptian geese eat seeds, leaves, grasses and plant stems. They may also eat locusts, worms and other small animals.
Ducks and geese generally feed on larvae and pupae usually found under rocks, aquatic animals, plant material, seeds, small fish, snails and crabs.
Feeding Ducks and Geese ...
We all enjoy waterfowl and many of us offer them food to encourage them to come over and stay around - and it works! Who doesn't like an easy meal!
However, the foods that we traditionally feed them at local ponds are utterly unsuitable for them and are likely to cause health problems down the road. Also, there may be local laws against feeding this species of bird - so it's best to check on that rather than facing consequences at a later stage.
- Click here to find out which foods to feed them that will offer the nutrition they need to survive a cold winter and remain healthy
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