Goose
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Superorder: Galloanserae Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Subfamily: Anserinae Tribe: Anserini
Genera
Anser Branta and see text

Goose (plural: geese) is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. The Canada Goose ( Branta canadensis) is a Goose belonging to the Genus Branta native to North America. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Most or all Birds collectively referred to as fowl belong to one of two orders namely the gamefowl or landfowl ( Galliformes) and the waterfowl The order Anseriformes contains about 150 living Species of Birds in three extant families the Anhimidae (the screamers Anseranatidae The Anserinae is a Subfamily in the Waterfowl family Anatidae. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic See also Grey Goose (disambiguation The Waterfowl Genus Anser includes all grey geese and usually The black geese of the Genus Branta are Waterfowl belonging to the true geese and Swans Subfamily Anserinae Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. In Biological classification, family ( Latin This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than geese, and ducks, which are smaller. Swans are Birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and Ducks Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in For duck as a food see Duck (food; for other meanings see Duck (disambiguation.

This article deals with the true geese in the subfamily Anserinae, tribe Anserini. In Biological classification, family ( Latin The Anserinae is a Subfamily in the Waterfowl family Anatidae. In Biology, a tribe &mdashor infrafamily&mdashis a Taxonomic rank between family and Genus.

A number of other waterbirds, mainly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their name. The Shelducks, genus Tadorna, are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family

Contents 1 Description 2 Etymology 3 True geese 4 Other birds called "geese" 5 See also 6 Footnotes 7 References 8 External links

Description

True geese are medium to large birds, always (with the exception of the Nēnē) associated to a greater or lesser extent with water. The Hawaiian Goose or Nēnē, Branta sandvicensis, is a Species of Goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Most species in Europe, Asia, and North America are strongly migratory as wild birds, breeding in the far north and wintering much farther south. Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of Birds Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability However, escapes and introductions have led to resident feral populations of several species.

Geese have been domesticated for centuries. Domestication (from Latin domesticus) refers to the process whereby a Population of Animals In the West, farmyard geese are descended from the Greylag, but in Asia the Swan Goose has been farmed for at least as long. The Swan Goose ( Anser cygnoides) is a large Goose with a natural breeding range in Mongolia, northernmost China, and southeastern Russia

All geese eat a largely vegetarian diet, and can become pests when flocks feed on arable crops or inhabit ponds or grassy areas in urban environments. They also take invertebrates if the opportunity presents itself; domestic geese will try out most novel food items for edibility. An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate

Geese usually mate for life, though a small number will "divorce" and remate. They tend to lay a smaller number of eggs than ducks but both parents protect the nest and young, which usually results in a higher survival rate for the young geese.

Not all couples are heterosexual, as both females and males will form long-term same-sex couples with greater or lesser frequency depending on species. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. ^[1] Of the heterosexual couples, a significant proportion are non-breeding despite having an active sexual life.

Etymology

Goose in its origins is one of the oldest words of the Indo-European languages (Crystal), the modern names deriving from the proto-Indo-European root, ghans, hence Sanskrit hamsa (feminine hamsii), Latin anser, Greek khén etc. The Canada Goose ( Branta canadensis) is a Goose belonging to the Genus Branta native to North America. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical

In the Germanic languages, the root word led to Old English gos with the plural gés, German Gans and Old Norse gas. The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. Other modern derivatives are Russian gus and Old Irish géiss; the family name of the cleric Jan Hus is derived from the Czech derivative husa. Jan Hus ( (ˈjan ˈɦus alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c

The male goose is called a gander (Anglo-Saxon gandra) and the female is the goose (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)); young birds before fledging are known as goslings. Noah Webster (October 16 1758 &ndash May 28 1843 was an American Lexicographer, textbook author Spelling reformer word enthusiast and editor A group of geese on the ground is called a gaggle; when flying in formation, it is called a wedge or a skein (see also List of collective nouns for birds). A group of birds of any type is generically known collectively as a flock.

True geese

The following are the living genera of true geese:

• Anser - Grey Geese, including the domesticated goose and the Swan Goose
• Chen - White Geese (often included in Anser)
• Branta - Black Geese, such as the Canada goose

The following two genera are only tentatively placed in the Anserinae; they may belong to the shelducks or form a subfamily on their own:

• Cereopsis - Cape Barren Goose
• Cnemiornis - New Zealand Geese (prehistoric)

Either these or - more probably - the goose-like Coscoroba Swan is the closest living relative of the true geese. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic See also Grey Goose (disambiguation The Waterfowl Genus Anser includes all grey geese and usually Domestic geese are domesticated Grey geese (either Greylag geese or Swan geese) kept as Poultry for their meat eggs and Down feathers The Swan Goose ( Anser cygnoides) is a large Goose with a natural breeding range in Mongolia, northernmost China, and southeastern Russia The white geese are a small group of Waterfowl which are united in the Genus or Subgenus Chen, in the true geese and The black geese of the Genus Branta are Waterfowl belonging to the true geese and Swans Subfamily Anserinae The Canada Goose ( Branta canadensis) is a Goose belonging to the Genus Branta native to North America. The Shelducks, genus Tadorna, are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family The Cape Barren Goose, Cereopsis novaehollandiae is a large Goose resident in southern Australia. Prehistoric birds are various taxa of Birds that became Extinct before recorded History, or more precisely before they could be studied The Coscoroba Swan, Coscoroba coscoroba is the smallest Species of Swan.

Fossils of true geese are hard to assign to genus; all that can be said is that their fossil record, particularly in North America, is dense and comprehensively documents a lot of the different species of true geese that have been around since about 10 million years ago in the Miocene. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. Annum is one form of the Latin noun meaning Year, not a form normally used for derivatives in modern languages the accusative singular The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 The aptly-named Anser atavus ("Great-great-great-grandfather goose") from some 12 million years ago had even more plesiomorphies in common with swans. Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry In addition, there are some goose-like birds known from subfossil remains found on the Hawaiian Islands. Subfossil refers to remains whose Fossilization process is not complete either for lack of time or because the condition in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an Archipelago of 19 Islands and Atolls numerous smaller See Anserinae for more. The Anserinae is a Subfamily in the Waterfowl family Anatidae.

Other birds called "geese"

There are a number of mainly southern hemisphere birds called "geese", most of which belong to the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae. Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' The Shelducks, genus Tadorna, are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family The Tadorninae is the shelduck-sheldgoose Subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the Ducks and most duck-like waterfowl These are:

• Orinoco Goose, Neochen jubata
• Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiacus
• The South American sheldgeese, genus Chloephaga
• The prehistoric Madagascar Sheldgoose, Centrornis majori, the "Woodard"

The Blue-winged Goose, Cyanochen cyanopterus belongs either to these, or to lineage closer to ducks. The Orinoco Goose ( Neochen jubata) is a member of the Duck, Goose and Swan family Anatidae. The Egyptian Goose ( Alopochen aegyptiacus) is a member of the Duck, Goose and Swan family Anatidae. Chloephaga is the sheldgeese Genus in the bird family Anatidae. Prehistoric birds are various taxa of Birds that became Extinct before recorded History, or more precisely before they could be studied The Blue-winged Goose ( Cyanochen cyanoptera) is a large Goose, which is endemic to Ethiopia.

The Spur-winged Goose, Plectropterus gambensis, is most closely related to the shelducks, but distinct enough to warrant its own subfamily, the Plectropterinae. The Spur-winged Goose, ( Plectropterus gambensis) is a large Bird in the family Anatidae, related to the geese and the shelducks The Spur-winged Goose, ( Plectropterus gambensis) is a large Bird in the family Anatidae, related to the geese and the shelducks

The three species of small waterfowl in the genus Nettapus are named "pygmy geese", e. The pygmy geese are a group of very small " Perching ducks quot in the Genus Nettapus which breed in the Old World tropics g. the Cotton Pygmy Goose (N. The Cotton Pygmy Goose or the Cotton Teal, Nettapus coromandelianus is a small Perching duck which breeds in India, Pakistan, southeast javanica). They seem to represent an ancient lineage like the Cape Barren Goose and the Spur-winged Goose.

A genus of prehistorically extinct seaducks, Chendytes, is sometimes called "diving-geese" due to their large size. In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa.

The unusual Magpie-goose is in a family of its own, the Anseranatidae. The Magpie-goose, Anseranas semipalmata, is a Waterbird Species found in Australia and New Guinea.

The Northern Gannet, a seabird, is also known as the "Solan Goose" although it is a bird unrelated to the true geese, or any other Anseriformes for that matter. The Northern Gannet ( Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana) is a Seabird and is the largest member of the Gannet family Sulidae The order Anseriformes contains about 150 living Species of Birds in three extant families the Anhimidae (the screamers Anseranatidae

See also

• Angel Wing - A disease common in geese. Angel Wing or Slipped Wing is a Disease that affects Waterfowl, primarily geese and Ducks The disease manifests as an incurable anatomical
• Domesticated goose, which includes cooking and folklore
• List of goose breeds
• Waterfowl
• Wildfowl

Footnotes

References

• Bagemihl, Bruce (1999): Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-19239-8
• Carboneras, Carles (1992): Family Anatidae (Ducks, Geese and Swans). In: del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds. ): Handbook of Birds of the World (Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks): 536-629, plates 40-50. HBW_-_Taxonomygif|right|frame|(400 × 258 pixels file size38KBMIME typeimage/gif|HBW-Page on Taxonomy]]HBW-accounts_8-082-083_copia Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-10-5
• Crystal, David (1998): The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (Paperback) ISBN 0-521-55967-7
• Terres, John K. & National Audubon Society (1991): The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit Environmental organization dedicated to conservancy Wings Books, New York. Reprint of 1980 edition. ISBN 0-517-03288-0

External links

• Goose videos on the Internet Bird Collection

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