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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
magpie
goose, pied goose |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Anseriformes |
| FAMILY: |
Anatidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Anseranas
(duck) semipalmata (partially webbed feet) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
This
is a large black and white goose with a long neck.
It has white on the back, shoulders, rump, breast
and belly and black on the head, neck, wings and
tail. This species of goose has a prominent, rounded
knob on its forehead and naked red skin on the face.
The beak is small with a slight hook at the end. |
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| WEIGHT: |
Approximately
2000 g (4.4 lb) |
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| DIET: |
Includes
seeds of wetland sedges, rushes, grasses, and other
aquatic plants |
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| INCUBATION: |
24-35 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
3-8
eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
3
months |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
2 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
32
years or more in the wild |
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| RANGE: |
Northern
Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania; current populations
are the result of reintroductions from northern
Australia |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabit
large freshwater lakes, slow-moving waterways, and
swamps |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Magpie
geese often breed in trios rather than pairs. Two
females lay their eggs on a floating platform of
reeds made by a single male. After the eggs hatch,
the three parents feed the chicks by bending tall
grasses over with their feet so the goslings can
eat the seeds. |
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| 2. |
Unlike
most waterfowl, magpie geese do not loose (molt)
their flight feathers all at once therefore they
are never left flightless. Some scientists believe
that this makes the magpie goose more closely related
to screamers than are other waterfowl. |
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| 3. |
They
are not closely related to true ducks, and are the
only known waterfowl to feed their young. |
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The
magpie goose plays an integral part in the lives
of Aboriginal people across northern Australia.
The geese and their eggs are hunted for food.
Magpie
geese once lived in swamps throughout Australia
however large populations have been poisoned because
they are considered agricultural pests. In addition,
their breeding swamps have also been drained to
make way for farmland.
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|
|
| Austin,
G. Birds of the World. New York. Golden Press,
Inc., 1961. |
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| Gotch,
A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
UK. Blandford Books Ltd., 1981. |
|
|
Johnsgard,
P. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World.
Lincoln. Univ. Of Neb. Press, 1978.
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|
| Scott,
P. A Coloured Key of the Wildfowl of the World.
Slimbridge, England. The Wildfowl Trust. 1988. |
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| Todd,
F.S. Natural History of Waterfowl. San Diego,
Ca. Ibis Publishing Co., 1996. |
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