The white-fronted goose (the old name is the goose) is a representative of the wild world. In private households, they do not breed it. About its distinctive features, life expectancy, distribution, lifestyle and domestication - further.
Origin story
It is known that the white-fronted goose appeared in 1895 on the territory of the USSR. The birds flew from the Caspian Sea, such a population shift, according to scientists, could be due to a sharp rise in sea level. The inhabitants of Pavlograd were the first to see them, later the birds were seen in the Urals basin.
It is noted that since 2008 the population of geese has declined sharply, this is due to a decrease in the area of winter wheat and intensive hunting for white-fronted geese.
This goose served as "material" for breeding a new domestic breed "Pskov Bald". These birds were the result of crossing local geese with tamed, wild white-fronted representatives.
Characteristic
This waterfowl of the duck family is very similar to the gray goose, but has a more modest size. The upper part of the body is covered with brown-gray feathers, the lower part is light, the undertail is white. In an adult bird, whose age has crossed the 4-year line, transverse black spots appear on the belly and upper part of the chest. The older the geese, the larger they are.
A special feature is a white spot on the head in the forehead area. However, it appears 2-3 years after birth. Therefore, distinguishing a bird at a younger age from a gray goose is problematic. The spot is clearly visible against the background of dark speckled plumage and is surrounded by a dark border. Its size is about 26 mm in diameter.
Other features:
- Beak. In length it reaches 40-55 mm. In adult geese, it is colored unevenly - in a flesh (beige) color with pink markings, at the end of which there is a white "claw". In young representatives, the markings are gray.
- Paws. The color of the paws also depends on the age of the goose. In young animals, they are yellow-orange, in the older generation, they are orange-red. You can also distinguish a bird by the protruding tail from under the folded wings.
- Body length. Varies from 60 to 90 cm, while the geese are smaller than males. The wingspan reaches up to 1.5 m. The weight of the bird by autumn reaches 2.5-3 kg.
Most of the geese lead an overland lifestyle, which does not prevent them from being excellent divers and swimmers. On lakes and rivers, they usually arrive to drink.
Distribution and habitat
The goose feels great in the tundra and forest-tundra, as well as on the Arctic islands. They can be found in the northern regions - Taimyr, Novaya Zemlya, Yamal, the western coast of Greenland, Eurasia and North America.
European "white-fronted" for the winter migrate to the southern regions - to the Black Sea, Caspian and Mediterranean. Some of the geese fly away to Asia (southeast and south). The North American population shifts to the south of the mainland for the winter.
When choosing a wintering place, the presence of a reservoir does not play a major role for geese. On migration, they prefer to stop near lakes and rivers, where they look for food and rest.
Wildlife lifestyle and conservation status
In its natural environment, the life span of a goose is 17-20 years, in captivity it increases to 30 years. Since the number of geese of this species does not cause concern among specialists, they are not protected and hunting is allowed.
Nutrition and vocalization
White-fronted geese prefer plant food - algae, herbaceous plants, berries, horsetails. Quite often they can be seen in fields sown with cereals. This often becomes the cause of "conflict situations" between a bird and a person.
Experienced hunters can easily distinguish the white-fronted goose from other migratory representatives not only by flight, but also by voice. He also cackles, but louder and louder.
Nesting
This species of waterfowl arrives to nest as one of the last - in May-early June, when the snow begins to melt in the nesting areas. If the spring is late, then the flock does not disintegrate. Birds keep together on shallows and banks of water bodies, waiting for favorable conditions for laying eggs and hatching chicks.
They nest in scattered colonies. The nest of each pair is far from each other. Permanent couples form even before puberty, at the age of two.
Youngsters, which are one year old, and birds that do not plan to breed offspring, roam the tundra for a long time. Their migration is delayed, but in summer they arrive en masse on lakes and grassy plains.
The female arranges nests among stones and bumps on a small hill or near bushes. Often they make them in the vicinity of birds of prey - peregrine falcons, skiffs and are under their protection. Inside the nest, she lines her own fluff, dry and fresh blades of grass, making a soft bedding for laying. This helps to avoid damage to the eggs.
In a clutch, you can count from 3 to 6 white eggs. The shell darkens during the incubation period. The incubation period lasts 28 days. The gosling hatches from the egg within 48 hours.
Only the female incubates the offspring, the male is constantly on guard. He guards the goose with the nest and the surrounding area. If the goose needs to leave the nest, she covers the masonry with a roller made of down.
Parents-to-be go to feed together, so for some time the clutch remains unprotected. In their natural environment, geese do not have many enemies in the tundra. The main offender is the Arctic fox, which loves to feast on eggs and chicks.
Rearing offspring
When chicks appear, parents distribute the care and care of them equally. They protect and protect babies for two months. Goslings are constantly in the field of vision of their parents, despite the fact that very soon they begin to get food on their own, and by the end of August they fly.
Before setting off on a long journey in the fall, parents train their offspring so that they can withstand a difficult long flight.
Molt
Adult geese begin to molt when the young begin to fledge. Chicks molt in the first year of life 2 times - when the down changes to a feather and before the autumn departure for wintering.
As soon as adult birds changed their feather outfit in summer, they again gather in a flock. They spend most of their time looking for food. Before leaving, they need to gain strength. Geese feed intensively 2 times a day in the morning and evening, flying from one place to another.
Domestication and productivity
The advantage of growing wild geese on a farm is their simplicity. In summer, they can be constantly free pasturing and do not need additional feed. The white-fronted goose also has a high immunity to various diseases. He is not afraid of frost, unpretentious care.
For 3 summer months, geese can gain up to 4 kg of live weight. Their meat is tasty and tender. However, females do not have a high egg production, so they are not suitable as layers.
The white-fronted goose is a beautiful bird that lives exclusively in the wild and becomes a desirable trophy for hunters. A migratory flock of geese can be a nuisance to the farmer by grazing in wheat fields. In general, white-fronted geese have a calm disposition and get along well near farms. But they are not purposefully breeding them.
Watch a video about the favorable conditions created by the breeder for the White-fronted geese:
This type of geese is not raised on special farms, but those who decide to do this should be aware that domesticated wild geese can breed in captivity when favorable conditions are created for them, but they retain their natural instincts. In order to prevent the birds from flying away in the fall, their wings are clipped.