Back to educational resources Flamingos Parrots Waterfowl Cranes Pheasants Hornbills Corvids Raptors Pigeons Turacos Cats Rodents Primates Ungulates Mongooses Iguanas Snakes Lizards Turtles Crocodilians Geese INDEX WHAT IS A GOOSE? GOOSE FEATURES GEESE OF ARDASTRA WHAT IS A GOOSE Simply put, a goose is just a large duck. The "true geese" and swans are placed together in the same group, Anserini. There are 15 species that are considered "true geese" and they are all found in the northern hemisphere. Return to Index. GOOSE FEATURES Geese have similar features as the ducks. They have webbed feet for swimming but they do not dive for food as they tend to be more terrestrial in their feeding habits and have strong bills adapted for grazing. Geese are the most varied in color compared to the swans (but not compared to the true ducks), some species are black and white, other more grey or brown in color. Both the sexes look similar in all the species. Geese, like all "water fowl", are excellent long distance flyers. They have large wings and large chest muscles that are typical of long distance flight. They also have heavily pigmented flight feathers which makes them stronger and more durable for flight. Return to Index. GEESE OF ARDASTRA Ardastra has two species of geese. Greylag goose The Greylag geese are divided into two different sub-species: The Eastern greylag geese - Anser anser rubrirostris - found throughout Russia, parts of Asia and Europe. The Western greylag geese - Anser anser anser - found throughout Iceland, Scandinavia, and Finland. These geese differ from the above by having a more orange bill rather than a pink-orange bill found in the Eastern sub-species. The sub-species that is found in Ardastra Gardens is the Western sub-species. It is believed that the geese got their name "lag", which generally means late or behind (as in lagging behind, jetlag etc), from the fact that they are the last of the migratory birds to leave the UK. They feed mainly on grass, roots, cereal leaves and spilled grain. This goose is the largest and bulkiest of the geese native to Europe and this is partly why they are the ancestor of most domestic geese. These geese were nearly wiped out in their natural range because of heavy hunting and collection of goslings for farming. Red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis)  -  Vulnerable species The red-breasted geese belong to a group of geese known as the Black geese and have very colorful markings. They winter in the temperate regions of South Eastern Europe around the Black sea but then travel to arctic Russia to breed. This species is best known for their habit of nesting close to the nests of birds of prey, such as Peregrines, Buzzards and Snowy owls. The birds of prey help to drive away potential predators like the Arctic fox and a large gull known as a Skua. In return the geese offer an early warning system for the birds of prey. Because of this, the Red-breasted geese do not start mating until the birds of prey has established their nesting site and therefore they have a delayed breeding season compared to most geese. Although there are over 100,000 birds recorded in the wild, they have been labeled as vulnerable due to habitat loss. Agricultural changes are affecting the few sites where these geese over winter and the breeding grounds are being exploited for oil exploration. Increased hunting by tourists traveling to Bulgaria is also becoming more and more of a problem. Return to Index. Back to educational resources Flamingos Parrots Waterfowl Cranes Pheasants Hornbills Corvids Raptors Pigeons Turacos Cats Rodents Primates Ungulates Mongooses Iguanas Snakes Lizards Turtles Crocodilians