You are here
Geese names
Anser anser
EOL Text
An interesting fact about Greylag geese is that they were once considered sacred by the Romans after reportedly saving the city of Rome in 390 BC. When the Gauls tried to climb in, the geese warned the Romans with their loud calls about the attempted invasion. After this, Caesar believed that the geese were sacred and it was ordered that the geese were to not be eaten in Pre-Roman Britain. (Schneck 1999)
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Anser_anser.html |
In the UK, greylag geese breed from the beginning of April to May, laying usually 5 – 8 eggs in a large nest amongst floating vegetation or hidden in reeds. The incubation period is about 28 days and, unlike many species of waterfowl, the male goose or gander stays with the family group. Geese, in fact, have a more cohesive family unit than ducks and both parents guard the goslings against attacks from other birds or predatory mammals. The greylag family continues to remain together throughout the year and will migrate from their wintering grounds as a group within a larger flock. Only when the adult birds are ready to establish a new breeding territory will the gander drive off the previous year's young birds. Geese are primarily grazing birds, although they also take grain, root crops and leafy vegetation. Geese have relatively short bills, and prefer pasture or meadows that are grazed by cattle or sheep. A flock of geese will work their away across the fields, nibbling the more nutritious growing shoots of the grass or cereal crop. Grass, by itself, is not particularly high in nutrients, and geese have to eat almost continuously in order to gain any nourishment from it. To allow these bulky birds to be able to take-off in an emergency, they process this grass at a remarkable rate. The birds defecate almost continuously whilst grazing so that their gut is not weighed down with food and they can still make a quick getaway if danger threatens.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
Source | http://www.arkive.org/greylag-goose/anser-anser/ |
鉴别特征 两性相似。体形较大,体重一般在3公斤左右。嘴基周围有狭窄的白纹。羽色较其他雁类为淡:上体灰褐色,各羽均具棕白色边缘;下体污白色,并杂以暗褐色小块斑。
形态 雄性成鸟:头顶和后颈褐色;前额围绕嘴的基部有一条狭窄的白纹,在繁殖期常呈锈黄色,有时也不明显;背和两肩灰褐色,各羽均具棕白色边缘;腰灰色,羽端稍带褐色;腰侧白色;初级飞羽暗褐,羽轴近白,羽基灰色;初级覆羽灰色;次级飞羽黑褐;翅上其他覆羽与背略同,但稍暗些;尾上覆羽白色;尾羽褐色,羽端的白色由中央向两侧逐渐加宽,最外侧两对尾羽全白。头侧、颏和前颈均灰;胸和腹污白色,并缀以不规则的暗褐色斑块,由胸至腹渐逐增多;两胁淡灰褐色,羽端灰白;尾下覆羽纯白。
雌雄羽色相似,但雌鸟体形较小。
雏鸟:体重125克,全长200毫米。头顶及整个上体为黄褐色;两颊及后颈黄;下体淡黄色。嘴黑褐,嘴甲褐色,先端骨白色;跗蹠黑褐。
虹膜褐色;嘴肉色;跗蹠颜色与嘴相似;爪褐色。
量衡度:
性别 体重 全长 嘴峰 翅 尾 跗蹠
♂♂(9) 2750-3750 791-880 63-68.1 420-482 130-168 67-77
♀♀ (7) 2100-3000 700-860 52.6-67 319-435 116-145 67-74
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | 丁文宁,1979, EOL China Regional Center |
Source | No source database. |
Anser anser is prey of:
Accipitridae
Aquila chrysaetos
Corvus corax
Alopex lagopus
Vulpes vulpes
Canis lupus familiaris
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 16, 2011 at http://animaldiversity.org. http://www.animaldiversity.org
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
The Greylag Goose (also spelled Graylag in the United States), Anser anser, is a bird with a wide range in the Old World. It is the type species of the genus Anser.
It was in pre-Linnean times known as the Wild Goose ("Anser ferus"). This species is the ancestor of domesticated geese in Europe and North America. Flocks of feral birds derived from domesticated birds are widespread.
The Greylag Goose is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Within science, the greylag goose is most notable as being the bird with which the ethologist Konrad Lorenz first did his major studying into the behavioural phenomenon of imprinting.
Contents |
Description[edit]
The Greylag is the largest and bulkiest of the grey geese of the genus Anser. It has a rotund, bulky body, a thick and long neck, and a large head and bill. It has pink legs and feet, and an orange or pink bill.[2] It is 74 to 91 cm (29 to 36 in) long with a wing length of 41.2 to 48 cm (16.2 to 19 in). It has a tail 6.2 to 6.9 cm (2.4 to 2.7 in), a bill of 6.4 to 6.9 centimetres (2.5 to 2.7 in) long, and a tarsus of 7.1 to 9.3 centimetres (2.8 to 3.7 in). It weighs 2.16 to 4.56 kg (4.8 to 10.1 lb), with a mean weight of around 3.3 kg (7.3 lb). The wingspan is 147 to 180 cm (58 to 71 in).[3][4][5] Males are generally larger than females, with the sexual dimorphism more pronounced in the eastern subspecies rubirostris, which is larger than the nominate subspecies on average.[2]
The plumage of the Greylag Goose is greyish-brown, with a darker head and paler belly with variable black spots. Its plumage is patterned by the pale fringes of its feathers. It has a white line bordering its upper flanks. Its coverts are lightly coloured, contrasting with its darker flight feathers. Juveniles differ mostly in their lack of a black-speckled belly.[2][6]
It has a loud cackling call, HOOOOOONK!, like the domestic goose.[2]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
This species is found throughout the Old World, apparently breeding where suitable localities are to be found in many European countries, although it no longer breeds in southwestern Europe. Eastwards it extends across Asia to China. In North America there are both feral domestic geese, which are similar to greylags, and occasional vagrants.[6]
In Great Britain their numbers had declined as a breeding bird, retreating north to breed wild only in the Outer Hebrides and the northern mainland of Scotland. However during the 20th century, feral populations have been established elsewhere, and they have now re-colonised much of England. The breeding habitat is a variety of wetlands including marshes, lakes, and damp heather moors.
In Norway, the number of greylag geese is estimated to have increased three- to fivefold during the last 15–20 years. As a consequence, farmers' problems caused by goose grazing on farmland has increased considerably. This problem is also evident for the pink-footed goose.
Behaviour[edit]
The geese are migratory, moving south or west in winter, but Scottish breeders, some other populations in northwestern Europe, and feral flocks are largely resident. This species is one of the last to migrate, and the "lag" portion of its name is said to derive from this lagging behind other geese.[7]
Gallery[edit]
-
A pair of Greylag Geese by a Pentland Hills reservoir, Scotland.
See also[edit]
- Maria (goose) - a Greylag Goose from Los Angeles, California noted for his interest in humans.
References[edit]
- ^ BirdLife International 2009
- ^ a b c d Madge & Burn 1988, pp. 140–141
- ^ Dunning 1992
- ^ Ogilvie & Young 2004
- ^ "Greylag Goose". oiseaux-birds.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ a b Johnsgard 2010, p. 60
- ^ "American Heritage Dictionary, graylag, noun". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
Works cited[edit]
- BirdLife International (2009). "Anser anser". 2009.2 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- Dunning, John B., Jr., ed. (1992). CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
- Johnsgard, Paul A. (2010) [1978]. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World (revised online ed.). Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.
- Lorenz, Konrad Z.; Martys, Michael; Tipler, Angelika (1991). Here Am I—Where Are You? The Behavior of the Greylag Goose. translated by Robert D. Martin. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-140056-3.
- Madge, Steve; Burn, Hilary (1988). Waterfowl: an Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-46727-6.
- Ogilvie, M. A.; Young, S. (2004). Wildfowl of the World. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84330-328-2.
- Wójcik, Ewa; Smalec, Elżbieta (2007). "Description of the Anser anser Goose Karyotype" (PDF). Folia Biol. (Krakow) 55 (1–2): 35–40.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greylag_Goose&oldid=563529536 |
分类讨论 斯温霍(Swinhoe)1871年在我国上海采到一只灰雁标本,与英国Anseranser标本进行比较,前者的嘴较大且长,腰部稍带灰色。因此,把它定成一个新亚种,命名为A. a. rubrirostris。我们认为灰雁嘴的大小与腰部灰色的浓淡变化是不稳定的,况且只根据一个标本上存在的差异,定出新亚种是不能确立的。
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | 丁文宁,1979, EOL China Regional Center |
Source | No source database. |
Most Greylag geese live until they are twenty years old. (Lorenz, 1991)
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 243.33 (high) months.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 243.33 months.
Typical lifespan
Status: captivity: 20 (low) years.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 21 (high) years.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Anser_anser.html |
生态 灰雁在平时成对地或数只至数十只结成小群活动,但在迁徙时常结成数以千计的大群。
它们常栖息在水生植物丛生的水边或沼泽地,也停息于河湾、河中的沙洲,有时也游荡在湖泊中。在繁殖和换羽期中经常到水中去活动。
灰雁以野草和种子为主要食物,兼食一些小虾、螺和少量鞘翅目昆虫。但在结群向越冬地区迁徙的途中和在越冬地区,也吃一些农作物。
关于灰雁的繁殖,我们于1959年4月24日在青海湖见到繁殖中的灰雁,巢中已有5枚卵。1965年4月中旬在内蒙古乌梁素海见到此雁繁殖。
灰雁营巢在水边的水草丛中,或在泥滩的蒲苇间。筑巢完全是就地取材,或为水草,或为蒲苇并以其作基础。巢的大小依据所用筑巢材料不同而有差异;用水草作为筑巢材料,其外径为490,内径250毫米;以蒲苇为材料的巢,外径为1250—1280,内径890—1,160毫米。每巢产卵4—8个,以5个卵较常见。卵白色,并缀以橙黄色斑点。卵重167(156—178)克,卵大小为88.3(84.5—90.5)×62.4(60.5 ×63.2)毫米。
在内蒙古乌梁素海,5月18日捕到2只体重22克的雏鸟,到7月初就能看见结群飞翔的幼雁了。
灰雁换羽,在内蒙古乌梁素海地区是从6月中旬开始,8月中旬基本结束,历时2个月左右。它们换羽时结群百余只,隐蔽在蒲苇丛生、人迹难到的地方。
灰雁由9月底开始向南迁徙。它们在迁往越冬区前,结成数千只的大群。1965年9月18日于内蒙古的乌拉山南坡山脚下,见到约八千余只的灰雁群,它们在那里停留10—
15天,而后分批向越冬区迁飞,至10月中旬几乎全部飞离。
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | 丁文宁,1979, EOL China Regional Center |
Source | No source database. |
Maximum longevity: 31 years (captivity) Observations: The domestic goose descended from the greylac. In captivity it may live over 30 years. In the wild it probably lives over 20 years. Anecdotal evidence suggests it may live up to 35 years (Nigrelli 1954).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002 - 2009 by Joao Pedro de Magalhaes |
Source | http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Anser_anser |
Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, Polish Exclusive Economic Zone, Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone
- Provoost, S.; Bonte, D. (Ed.) (2004). Animated dunes: a view of biodiversity at the Flemish coast [Levende duinen: een overzicht van de biodiversiteit aan de Vlaamse kust]. Mededelingen van het Instituut voor Natuurbehoud, 22. Instituut voor Natuurbehoud: Brussel, Belgium. ISBN 90-403-0205-7. 416, ill., appendices pp.
- MEDIN (2011). UK checklist of marine species derived from the applications Marine Recorder and UNICORN, version 1.0.
- Ramos, M. (ed.). 2010. IBERFAUNA. The Iberian Fauna Databank
- Kedra, M. (2010). A Checklist of marine species occurring in Polish marine waters, compiled in the framework of the PESI EU FP7 project.