Waterfowl South Africa

Scientific classification of Wildfowl

geese and swans. There are 15 species of goose now often assigned to three genera (though the American Ornithologist’s Union still separates at least one genus into two: Anser and Chen): Anser (9 species of ‘grey’ geese), Branta (5 species of ‘black’ geese, and the monotypic Cape Barren Goose. There are 24 species of swan in three genera: Cygnus, Coscoroba (South America), and Olor, the tundra swans.

Goose is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes the swans, which are mostly larger than geese, and the ducks, which are smaller.

This article deals with the true geese in the subfamily Anserinae. A number of other waterbirds, mainly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their name. For these, see Anatidae.

Geese are medium to large birds, always (with the exception of the nene) associated with water. Most species in Europe, Asia and North America are strongly migratory as wild birds, breeding in the far north and wintering much further south. However, escapes and introductions have led to resident feral populations of several species.

All geese eat an exclusively vegetarian diet, and some can become pests when flocks feed on arable crops.

The following are some goose species.

1. Greylag Goose Anser anser

2. White-fronted Goose A. albifrons

3. Lesser White-fronted Goose A. erythropus

4. Bean Goose A. fabalis

5. Pink-footed Goose A. brachyrhynchus

6. Bar-headed Goose A. indicus

7. Swan Goose, A. cygnoides

1. Snow Goose Anser caerulescens or Chen caerulescens

2. Ross’ Goose, A. rossii or C. rossii

3. Emperor Goose, A. canagicus or C. canagica

1. Brent Goose Branta bernicla

2. Barnacle Goose B. leucopsis

3. Canada Goose B. canadensis

4. Red-breasted Goose B. ruficollis

5. Néné or Hawaiian Goose, B. sandvicensis

1. Cape Barren Goose, Cereopsis novaehollandiae

Swans are large water birds of the Anatidae family, which also includes ducks and geese. Sometimes swans are lumped with geese in the subfamily Anserinae.

Swans mate for life; the number of eggs in each clutch varies both within and among swan species.

Young swans are known as cygnets, from the Latin word for swan, cygnus.

Most species of swan are white, but Australia is home to a species known as the Black Swan (Cygnus atratus), which is black with a red beak and white patches under its wings. The black swan is the official state emblem of Western Australia.

The following are examples:

Mute Swan, Cygnus olor, is a common Eurasian species, often semi-domesticated; descendants of domestic flocks have been naturalized in the eastern United States.

Whooper Swan, Cygnus cygnus migrates from Iceland and Arctic Europe to western Europe in winter.

Tundra Swan, Cygnus columbianus is a relatively small swan which has two major subspecies

*    Bewick’s Swan, Cygnus columbianus bewickii is the Eurasian form which migrates from Arctic Russia to western Europe in winter. The reserves of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Britain are important for Bewick’s and Whooper Swans.

*    Whistling Swan, Cygnus columbianus columbianus is the North American race, which is sometimes considered a separate species from Bewick’s swan.

Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator is a North American species which was hunted almost to extinction but has since recovered: it is perhaps the heaviest flying animal at 17 kilograms (38 pounds).

Black Swan, Cygnus atratus of Australia

Black-necked Swan, Cygnus melanocoryphus of South America, formerly Sthenelides melanocorypha.

Coscoroba Swan, Coscoroba coscoroba, also of South America