5 Species Of Geese: Come And See Them!

Geese have migratory habits during the winter season. Come and meet 5 species of geese with us!

How many species of geese are there?

There are about 50 different subspecies of geese distributed around the planet, all of them with monogamous habits and winter migrations.

In other words, it is a very large family. However, although the domestication of geese has been going on for several centuries, we don’t know much about these birds. Some of the species are:

1. Common goose

Native to North Africa and Eurasia, it is the most widely distributed of the genus, having been introduced to Australia.

It is also the sturdiest and largest of the Anser family . It is about 90 centimeters long and weighs around 4 kg.

The plumage of the common goose – the photo that opens this article – is gray and brown, with the belly and chest lighter than the wings.

The neck has longitudinal stripes, the tip of the tail is white and both the legs and the beak are orange.

Its food consists of shoots, roots, floating plants and herbs. Also, their nests are made in the ground.

2. Goose-swan

It is another of the goose species that has been domesticated.  Native to eastern Asia, during the summer it inhabits southern Siberia, where it raises its offspring.

Also, in winter, they migrate to Korea and northern China. He prefers to live near water, such as in lakes, rivers and even swamps. Every year, the female lays up to eight eggs, which she incubates for up to a month, while the male defends the nest.

The swan goose weighs a little more than 3 kg, its body is dark gray in the wings, light brown in the chest and whitish in the neck and tail. In addition, the legs are orange and the beak is black.

3. small goose

It is a migratory bird from Eurasia that migrates in summer to the arctic regions and spends the winter in the Middle East and Southeastern Europe. In addition, he prefers to live in the tundra, areas close to rivers and lakes and even in coastal regions.

This goose is dark gray with white lines, orange legs, white tail, pink beak and a characteristic white at the edge of the face. 

The female lays about five eggs per season and incubates them for 28 days.  The male helps in raising the young, until they learn to fly, around two months old.

4. Short-beaked goose

Another species of geese we can find in Europe. In addition, its habitat extends over several places, such as Iceland, Greenland (in summer) or the Netherlands and Great Britain (in winter).

Prefers lacustrine areas and estuaries with pastures. It is also observed near agricultural areas, as it feeds on cereals, potatoes, carrots and beets.

The short-beaked goose has a brown belly, gray wings with white markings, pink legs and a dark head.

In addition, its very short pink beak (hence its name) draws attention. It makes its nests in the tundra ground every July and lays six eggs. The population is increasing due to the abundance of food.

5. grimace goose

The last of the geese species on this list is distributed across the arctic regions of North America, Europe and Asia. It is a migratory bird that can fly many kilometers to avoid the winter cold.

Weighing three kilos and about 80 centimeters tall (male are larger than females), the straight goose has mostly brown plumage. 

In addition, they stand out for their orange paws and beak, dark spots on the chest and wings, white sides of the body and black on the edges of the beak.