Alopochen aegyptiaca

Colour: Pale brown / grey with dark brown eye patches

Adult Size: 63-73cm in length / wingspan of 110-13cm

Lifespan: Up to 25 years

Where: Victoria Park (largest populations in South East England)

Description

Distinctive features

One of the main defining features of Egyptian Geese is the dark markings preset around their eyes, that looks like a permanent eyeliner to give them a hint of mystery. That isn’t all, they also come with a stylish bill, often in a white or soft pink colour. Their wonderous wing pattern is particularly fascinating, with a majority of it being a brown colour aside from the wingtips, which are a dark green or purple colour as a way to add some vibrant spice to their already intriguing design.

Size and Pair Bonds

Male Egyptian Geese tend to be larger compared to their female counterparts, like they’ve made it clear that they will protect their partner. Here’s a heartwarming fact about them, these geese are all about forming social connection, and once they find ‘the one’, they’ll form a lifelong pair bond, talk about loyalty. This is the start of their story of commitment which will last their whole lifetime.

Vocal nature

They can also be a bit of a chatterbox sometimes, as they are very vocal and will loudly honk to communicate with other geese. The honking isn’t always in a friendly manner however, as it is also often a display of their territorial nature, where they will honk to keep away intruders as though telling them to back off, especially during mating season to protect their nesting grounds while making their presence known. 

Parenting Skills and Dietary Versatility

Adult geese make for some fantastic parent, they’re very protective of their offspring and will not hesitate to attack in their defence so be careful not to get on their bad side or you may learn what makes them so ferocious. Their diet is quite versatile, mainly consisting of seeds, leaves, and grasses. The twist is that they can occasionally eat smaller invertebrates too, like a little dessert every now and then.

Habitat

The Egyptian goose is a species that was native to Africa, however, after being introduced to other parts of the world, feral populations can now be found around the UK. Their main habitats include freshwater lakes and rivers, grasslands, and any human-altered wetlands where they have access to water like the lakes found in Victoria Park.

Lifecycle

The life of an Egyptian goose will begin at the exhilarating moment when a female lays a clutch (the name given to the group of eggs a bird lays at once) of eggs. Imagine a warm nest with up to 12 delicately cradled eggs inside. These eggs will then be incubated for up to a month by the female while the vigilant male will stand guard for any intruders. Soon after, the eggs will hatch into cute baby goslings which will start waddling, trying to walk and swim which they will pick up very quickly, like they were born to do these. These goslings are then cared for by their parents for up to 2 years as they are taught the necessary steps of survival. Think of it like a guided crash course. Eventually they will spread their wings to learn how to find food for themselves and can begin learning how to fly. Soon after, they are ready to live independently and will leave their family to begin writing their very own story just like their parents, where they will join other geese and form their own pair bonds and eventually lay eggs to begin a new book of family once again.