Egyptian goose

Taxonomy

The Egyptian goose was formally described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas aegyptiaca. Linnaeus partly based his account on the "L'oye d'Egypte" that had been described and illustrated in 1760 by the French ornithologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in his Ornithologie. Brisson used the Latin name Anser Egyptiatiacus but although he coined Latin names for species, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. The Egyptian goose is now placed with the extinct Mauritius sheldgoose and the extinct Reunion sheldgoose in the genus Alopochen that was introduced in 1885 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

The Egyptian goose is believed to be most closely related to the shelducks (genus Tadorna) and their relatives, and is placed with them in the subfamily Tadorninae. It is the only extant member of the genus Alopochen, which also contains closely related prehistoric and recently extinct species. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data suggest that the relationships of Alopochen to Tadorna need further investigation.

Description

It swims well and appears heavy in flight, more like a goose than a duck, hence the English name. On average, they are 63 – tall.

The sexes of this species are identical in plumage but the males are usually somewhat larger. They vary greatly in plumage tone, with some birds greyer and others browner, but this variation has not been observed to be sex- or age-related. A large part of the wings of mature birds is white, but the white is hidden by the wing coverts when at rest. When it is aroused, either in alarm or aggression, the white is displayed.

Egyptian geese in the wild can live for up to 15 years, while captive individuals have been recorded reaching an age of 35.

The voices and vocalisations of the sexes differ, the male having a hoarse, subdued duck-like quack which seldom sounds unless it is aroused, as well as a louder, breathy call which is performed in a rapid sequence, sounding somewhat like a steam engine. The female has a far noisier raucous quack that frequently sounds in aggression when tending her young. The male Egyptian goose attracts its mate with an elaborate, noisy courtship display that includes honking, neck stretching and feather displays.

Distribution

The Egyptian goose is native to Sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile Valley, where it is widespread and common to abundant, though it has become scarce in the northern Nile Valley. It is found in open or semi-open habitats, typically near fresh water, ranging from lowlands to 4000 m above sea level in the Ethiopian Highlands, and largely absent from dense forests and deserts. While not breeding, it disperses somewhat, sometimes making longer migrations northwards into the arid regions of the Sahel, and occasionally even reaching the North African nations of Algeria and Tunisia, historically a more frequent part of its range.

It was found in southeastern Europe (up to the lower Danube Valley and southern Hungary) until the early 1700s, and in parts of Turkey and the western Middle East until the early 1900s (and has since re-established through escaped captives), but its historical ranges in these places is incompletely known and the reason for the disappearances is also unknown.

Introduced populations

United Kingdom

The British populations of the Egyptian goose date back to the 17th century when it was introduced to estates and parks, where it breeds at sites with open water, short grass and suitable nesting locations (either islands, holes in old trees or amongst epicormic shoots on old trees). During the winter, they are widely dispersed within river valleys, where they feed on short grass and cereals. In the United Kingdom in 2009, it was officially declared a non-native species. Accordingly, Egyptian geese in Great Britain may be shot without special permission if they cause problems.

Mainland Europe

The Egyptian goose was first introduced to the Netherlands in 1967 and to Belgium in 1982, and these formed the basis for the population in mainland Europe, likely supplemented by some captive escapees from other European countries. From these two countries, the species has experienced a relatively fast range expansion into adjacent countries, first spreading into Germany and France (where possibly supplemented by local escapees) in the mid-1980s, and then to the Czech Republic, Denmark, Luxembourg and Switzerland in the early 2000s. Further observations, sometimes also involving isolated cases of breeding, have been made in Austria, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and elsewhere in mainland Europe, but it is not yet known to have become established in those countries.

Because of its aggressiveness towards other birds, it may reduce or displace native species, Therefore this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, used, exchanged or intentionally released into the environment and member states are obliged to try to eradicate the species.

Elsewhere

In addition to Europe, the Egyptian goose has been introduced and established breeding populations in Mauritius, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Although the Egyptian goose was introduced to Australia and New Zealand, it did not become established in these countries.

Behaviour

This is a largely terrestrial species, which will also perch on trees and buildings.

This species will nest in a large variety of situations, especially in holes in mature trees in parkland. The female builds the nest from reeds, leaves and grass and both parents take turns incubating the eggs. Egyptian geese usually mate for life. Both the male and female care for the offspring until they are old enough to care for themselves. Such parental care, however, does not include foraging for the young, which are able to forage for themselves upon hatching.

Egyptian geese typically eat seeds, leaves, grasses and plant stems. Occasionally, they will eat locusts, worms, or other small animals. Until the goslings are a few weeks old and strong enough to graze, they feed largely on small aquatic invertebrates, especially freshwater plankton. As a result, if anoxic conditions lead to the production of botulinum toxin and it gets passed up the food chain via worms and insect larvae insensitive to the toxin, entire clutches of goslings feeding on such prey may die. The parents, who do not eat such organisms to any significant extent, generally remain unaffected.

Both sexes are aggressively territorial towards their own species when breeding and frequently pursue intruders into the air, attacking them in aerial "dogfights". Egyptian geese have been observed attacking aerial objects such as drones that enter their habitat as well. Neighbouring pairs may even kill another's offspring for their own offsprings' survival, as well as for more resources.

In their native range, predators of Egyptian geese include leopards, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, crocodiles and Old World vultures.

Gallery

Alopochen aegyptiacus MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.13.2.jpg|Eggs from a clutch in France Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) gosling 01.jpg|Gosling Two ducklings walking into Kralingse Plas (DSC 8538).jpg|Goslings Yeorit6.JPG|Immature birds Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca), Lake Ziway, Ethiopia.jpg|Subadult Egyptian Goose Urzig Mosel jun 2018 (1).jpg|Female from the front Egyptian Goose Urzig Mosel jun 2018 (16).jpg|Male (left) herding a female (right) Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca), Kruger NP (11451534654), crop.jpg|A breeding pair (male closest) in South Africa Egyptian goose.png|Male from the front, Israel Alopochen aegyptiaca auf dem Bodensee.jpg|A breeding pair (male behind) in Germany Egyptian-Goose.jpg|In flight, showing pied underwing Egyptian goose (05633).jpg|Head, in London Nilgans im Kraehennest.jpg|An usurped crow's nest in Germany

References

References

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