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Swan Goose - BirdForum Opus

(Redirected from Anser Cygnoides)
Photo by scottishdude
Shen Yang, China, June 2006
Anser cygnoides

Identification

81-94 cm
Bi-colored neck and all black bill.

  • Dark brown crown, nape and hindneck
  • Pale creamy-brownish lower sides of head and foreneck

Adult

  • Whitish band from lores across forehead, bordering base of bill

Juvenile

  • Duller crown, nape and hindneck
  • Lacks whitish face-band
Photo by BIJ
Yeyahu Nature Reserve, Beijing, China, March 2009

Similar Species

Greylag Goose has an orange bill and lacks pale foreneck and whitish face-band.

Distribution

Asia: found in Russia, Siberia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, China, Tibet, Korea, Taiwan
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Laos

Feral birds of the domesticated form of this species are found in many parts of the world, but especially the USA.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

The domestic form of Anser cygnoides is also know as the Chinese Goose. The domesticated form has two morphs, brown and white, and differs from the wild type in having a shortened bill and having developed a knob at the base of the bill, not present in the wild bird, that is particularly pronounced in the female domestic goose.

Habitat

Steppes, mountain valleys, marshes and other wetlands.

Behaviour

Many on-line sources state this bird 'rarely swims'; however, there are many pictures of these geese clearly showing them on and around water.

Breeding

The 5-8 eggs are laid in a ground nest.

Vocalisation

Call: a prolonged, resounding honk, ending at higher pitch.
Alarm call: Repeated, short, harsh notes.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Avibase
  3. tastejiangsu.com
  4. BirdLife International
  5. Wikipedia

Recommended Citation

External Links

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