Egyptian Goose

BirdAfrica

17 Nov

Written By Alexander Julius Jensen

Alopochen aegyptiaca

Native to sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile River Valley, the Egyptian goose has now settled in N. America, much of Europe, and parts of the Middle East. Although normally quite reserved and shy, males will become boisterous and aggressive during their breeding season to attract a female.

Sacred Goose

The Egyptian goose has an antique aesthetic. All rustic browns and greys, with dark, gleaming green and white beneath its wings — revealed when it spreads them in flight or impassioned displays. It wears a "hood" of light brown over its head, with chestnut-coloured patches around each of its amber eyes. And at the centre of its breast it has a singular dark marking — a brown patch that distinguishes it from any closely related species.¹

It's easy to imagine flocks of these ancient-looking waterfowl padding along a palm-laden riverside or enjoying an oasis pond in the middle of a great barren desert, maybe even floating through the waterways of an ancient city, with grand stone statues and monuments to old gods on the horizon, shimmering in the heat. But perhaps it's just the bird's name that evokes such imagery. The Egyptian goose has been around since the time of ancient Egypt (which unified in 3100 BCE) when it was domesticated and venerated as a sacred bird by the ancient Egyptians — joining the 'Egyptian Sacred Bird Club' with the African sacred ibis and Egyptian vulture. This goose may have even originated from the Nile River Valley region, giving it the alternate name of 'Nil goose'. However, if these origins are true, it has since travelled far and wide beyond Egypt and the Nile.

Its native range extends from the Nile River Valley into much of sub-Saharan Africa, with populations most densely concentrated in southern Africa. It lives along open waterways like rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands — often wandering into adjacent grasslands and fields. It travels in a small flock, finding safety in numbers from predators like lions, hyenas, and crocodiles. But, it doesn't like to move much; it undertakes no great migrations and, if it were up to the Egyptian goose, it would spend its entire life near the same river or lake (it only moves elsewhere if predators become too numerous or a drought desiccates its home). Most of its wanderings don't take it far from the water. During the day, an Egyptian goose and its flock might march along on their long, pink legs into grasslands or cultivated fields, where they'll eat their fill of young grasses and grains — they favour wheat — before returning to the water ahead of nightfall. If they don't feel like making the journey to the fields, they'll instead catch insects, worms, and frogs around the wetlands.

Peaceful to Pugnacious

Many Egyptian geese, however, have travelled very far — just not by their own choice. The Egyptian goose's first excursion outside of Africa occurred in the 17th century when it was brought over to England. From that initial migrant population of a few, probably pretty confused geese, they expanded to other parts of England and are currently in the process of colonising all the British Isles. But, given their lax nature, this expansion has been pretty slow. Since then, Egyptian geese have also been settling throughout much of mainland Europe; first introduced to the Netherlands in 1967, then to Belgium in 1982, the geese eventually spread into nearby countries — in this case, surprisingly quickly, probably assisted by captive escapees. They've also made their way further east and can now be found in Türkiye, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. Being popular birds in zoos and aviaries, Egyptian goose escape artists are probably behind the wild populations present in the U.S. — in Florida, Texas, California, and elsewhere — having managed to Houdini their way out of captivity to colonise yet another continent.

These Egyptian geese populations have escaped the many dangers of the African wilderness — no lions in Europe or America.² Now, they live as foreigners in many disparate ecosystems and, for the most part, they are benign neighbours. For instance, in contrast to some other geese, they aren't quarrelsome, usually choosing to swiftly waddle away if approached by a person. Unfortunately — for their human and other animal neighbours — that changes come their breeding season. Between March and July (depending on where they live), male Egyptian geese begin their macho showboating. They perform elaborate courtship displays, accompanied by loud honks. It's as if each male is competing to be the most obnoxious in the group, and whoever wins gets the female's affection.

Protective Parenting

Once a mother goose has laid her eggs — 5 to 12 eggs, usually in a nest on the ground or in an abandoned nest of another bird — it's her turn to be (more justifiably) hostile. The mother always keeps her clutch close; she incubates the eggs for about a month and then, once they hatch, she lovingly guides the chicks around. ,The father, meanwhile, acts as a security guard for his family, hissing and attacking anything that gets too close, especially other Egyptian geese. If an intruder somehow gets past his watch, they'd have to deal with the mother, whose livid honks are even louder than the males', sounding like maniacal cackling. These typically timid birds can become downright brutal during their breeding season, as if enacting some kind of annual avian Purge. Egyptian geese have even been known to murder the offspring of other Egyptian geese to increase their own offsprings’ chances of survival — which goes some way to explain the parent's hostility to other members of their own species.

The chicks finally fledge at around 70 days old. The season of violence and anarchy comes to an end, and, with nothing to defend, the Egyptian geese return to their usual shy and quiet selves. But that doesn't mean they become completely harmless — especially to human affairs. As you can imagine, farmers aren't all too thrilled by flocks of Egyptian geese waddling up to pluck at their produce. In southern Africa, where the geese are found in great numbers, farmers complain of crop damage and are known to shoot at the birds to frighten them off.

Consequences

Outside of the goose’s natural range, native bird populations can also suffer from the its presence, especially during the violent breeding seasons. Not only is it aggressive to others of its own kind, Egyptian geese may limit the territories of native birds (and consequently their access to food) by violently driving them away. They sometimes go so far as actively drowning other waterbirds. In Victoria (Australia), these geese are considered an "extreme pest risk", and in the UK they find themselves on 'The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019', making it an offence to "import, keep, sell, transport, breed or release [the Egyptian goose] into the environment".

An Egyptian goose far from home in London, England.

The species is doing very well for itself in southern Africa and, with several populations around the world, it's unlikely to be in any trouble soon (it's considered to be of 'Least Concern' by the IUCN, although its population is decreasing). There are positives to the Egyptian goose's presence. Its diet makes it a good seed disperser and its terrestrial feeding breaks up soil and helps to decompose dead plants. However, these benefits are unlikely to outweigh the damage these geese can cause in non-native ecosystems. Not for the first time has our desire to look at pretty animals led to the endangerment of ecosystems. Although it may seem natural to place blame on the invader itself — especially one as occasionally vicious as the Egyptian goose — we should remember that it was humans who turned this beautiful, once-sacred bird into an economic and ecological hazard.

Clockwise from left; a ruddy shelduck (*Tadorna ferruginea*), South African shelduck (*Tadorna cana*), and radjah shelduck (*Radjah radjah*).

¹ The Egyptian goose is a member of the fairly large Anatidae family — the geese, ducks, and swans — with some 150 to 170 other species. In its genus, Alopochen, it is the sole surviving species, but it has close relatives in the shelducks; such species as the South African shelduck, radjah shelduck, and ruddy shelduck.

² There are, however, mountain lions in America (alternatively known as cougars or pumas). But, despite their name, they aren't closely related to the lions of Africa.

The mountain lion — for all of its heft (up to 100 kg or 220 lbs) — is a member of the "small cat" subfamily (Felinae), with cousins like the ocelot, lynx, cheetah, and domestic cat. African (and Asiatic) lions, meanwhile, belong to the family of "big cats" (Pantherinae), with tigers, leopards, and jaguars.

**Where Does It Live?**

⛰️ Wetlands and open grassy areas.
📍 Native to sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile River Valley; invasive to much of Europe, parts of the Americas and the Middle East.

‘Least Concern’ as of 09 August, 2018.

IUCN

Size // Medium
Wingspan // 134 - 154 cm (53 - 61 in)
Length // 63 - 73 cm (25 - 29 in)
Weight // 1.5 - 2.3 kg (3.3 - 5 lbs)
Activity: Diurnal ☀️
Lifestyle: Social 👥
Lifespan: 15 years in the wild, up to 35 years in captivity
Diet: Primarily Herbivorous
Favorite Food: Grasses, seeds, and stems 🌿
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Alopochen
Species: A. aegyptiaca

The Egyptian goose was believed to be venerated by ancient Egyptians — alongside other birds like the African sacred ibis and Egyptian vulture — and was featured in their artworks.
Although its natural range extends far beyond the Nile River Valley — through most of Sub-Saharan Africa, in fact — it's possible that the species originated along the fertile river (with one alternative name being 'Nil goose').
In the wilds of Africa, it lives in wetlands and along waterways such as rivers, but flocks often venture into nearby grasslands and fields to feed on young grasses and grains. The goose has a particular fondness for wheat — and, consequently, a habit of getting shot at by farmers.
Although often a nuisance to African farmers, colonising Europeans thought it looked neat and so the British brought it back to England in the 17th century and it's been slowly spreading over the Isles since. It was then introduced to mainland Europe, where its range expanded more rapidly, and it's now found as an invasive species throughout the continent.
It has also been brought to parts of the Middle East and the United States, where escapees from zoos and aviaries established wild populations.
Although usually quite placid for geese, between March and July (depending on where they live), male Egyptian geese begin to show off for females with elaborate displays and loud honking.
An Egyptian goose couple will aggressively defend their eggs and chicks — most aggressively from other Egyptian geese, since infanticide is sometimes a strategy employed by competing parents.
The female is known to have a far louder honk than the male; sounding somewhat like maniacal laughter.
In its native ecosystems, the Egyptian goose breaks up soil while feeding along the ground, helping plants decompose, and acts as a seed disperser.
In foreign ecosystems, however, the Egyptian goose often does more harm than good; possibly limiting the breeding territories of other waterfowl by violently driving them away and even actively drowning other birds.
Although it's called a goose, this species is most closely related to shelducks; such as the ruddy shelduck, South African shelduck, and radjah shelduck.