White goose - description, habitat, interesting facts

White geese can be classified as nesting type migratory birds. These individuals are attributed to the family of ducks. Feathered friends are famous for their peace-loving character, but can be aggressive when there is a strong crush in the pack.

Historical data

If you follow some information that has not yet been confirmed, then representatives of this family were met in the late 1800s on the territory of the Soviet Union. First, these individuals were found in Pavlograd, then they were found in a transit flight through the Black Sea region.

It is generally accepted that family representatives arrived in the USSR directly from the Caspian Sea, where they always wintered at that time. Since this water source increased its depth by 1.5 meters, the birds decreased in numbers and began to fly away to other places for the winter.

When in the late 1800s they flew en masse from the Caspian coast, they were later spotted in the Urals. Also represented individuals were found in the Crimea and in the Danube region. The Kerch Peninsula is still considered a favorite place for geese, but the range of their habitat has expanded significantly.

Despite the fact that individuals successfully breed and hibernate in different places, experts calculated that over the last 9-10 years their population has decreased by 7 times. This is a lot, taking into account that the geese are quite strong in health. The decline in the population is due to the fact that goose hunting is extremely popular.

Description

1. Otherwise, individuals of this family are called orange-billed. They are similar in appearance to gray geese. But the second type has a much larger case. As for the coloring, the upper section of the body is darker, the lower is a little lighter.
2. Animals that have reached puberty in the abdominal part and lower section of the sternum have darkish spots. These inclusions increase in area in proportion to how the bird matures.
3. On the shoulder blades there are gray feathers, they also cover the neck and sides of the goose. But not all of these features are inherent, mainly white geese. These external signs do not appear in young individuals until they are 2-3 years old.
4. Representatives of this family are famous for their extraordinary appearance in terms of color. Adults can boast an orange-red beak with a heterogeneous structure. Young animals, on the contrary, have a grayish beak with some dark marks.
5. At the paws of the chicks, the color is between faded orange and yellowish. After a year and a half, the shade smoothly turns into a reddish with an orange undertone. Black feathers can be seen in the tail area.
6. As for the size of the case, the females are smaller, their length varies between 60–75 cm. The males are larger (from 65 to 77 cm).
7. The plumage can be different, ranging from whitish, ending with a gentle flesh tint. It depends on how often geese are molted, what they eat, how things are with their health. The final coloring is formed only after 4 plumage changes.
8. These representatives of the family have a strange voice, they make strange sounds. In this, individuals are similar to their relatives, gray geese. But the flock of white birds is much more extensive, they prefer to be in large families. However, as mentioned earlier, everyone should have enough space.
9. Most of these birds live in a dry area. But this does not mean that the birds do not dive or cannot swim. Great dives come out of them when individuals reach the water.

The rhythm of life

1. Considering such a popular bird, you can not ignore its life cycle.Individuals of the family under discussion can easily live from 10 or more years. Cases where geese existed for 20 years have been recorded.
2. By their natural characteristics, birds prefer to nest and lead a nomadic way of life. They will always choose land instead of water, but they feel quite confident in the body of water.
3. These birds, in spite of their cockiness in some cases, have a high intelligence, in contrast to self-similar ones. Mind and quick wits help geese survive.
4. So, for example, before building a nest, these birds look for where white owls are located. If their house is nearby, then it is quite possible to settle here. This is because owls are hunters. They carefully guard their housing, and in parallel with it the nest of geese.
5. Northerners, the so-called breed group under discussion, are at odds with gulls and arctic foxes. These are sworn enemies who steal goose eggs and goslings themselves. They also break nests, so the birds have to re-arrange everything. But if the owl is nearby, then it simultaneously protects its own and alien settlement.
6. Individuals of female gender live near their nest, trying not to leave far and for long. But in case of danger, the female will not try to repulse to the detriment of herself, she will better move away.

Habitat

1. These birds are today distributed on several continents. But they do not intersect with each other when they fly. Representatives of the family are found in Greenland and Canada, as well as Siberia.
2. When they winter, they fly to the southern regions. They are often seen in the United States of America, as well as Mexico, Europe, and the Japanese islands.
3. Throughout the course of migration, individuals do not allow anyone to approach them; they are wary of strangers. However, when nesting begins, the geese seem to exhale, allowing themselves to relax.

Breeding

1. The breed group in question prefers to join the family for the rest of their lives. The female chooses a companion for herself, after which she lives only with him. Pets reach puberty when the 4th molt comes to an end.
2. When feathered friends end their wintering, they fly back and begin to stubbornly prepare for the departure of the kids. It has already been mentioned that these individuals will build nests next to owls.
3. They prefer to nest in packs, in some cases the number reaches 1 thousand individuals. But this is rare, usually geese gather in 20 pairs. At the same time, they strictly observe the borders of 2 km. between the flocks. As for the number of masonry, it is equal to 5 eggs maximum.
4. An interesting fact is that only a female sits on the nest. As for the males of this species, they are always next to their second half. If a female has urgent matters and needs to leave the nest, she covers him with down and grass.
5. If for any reason the chicks are killed or the nest is littered, geese often re-lay. If all eggs were lost, then a pair of individuals will return to the breeding process only the next year. The first offspring after masonry is born after about 20 days.
6. After another 45 days, the chicks stand on their wings. At the time of young growth, parents begin to actively molt. Also, during nesting, all individuals become very vulnerable. They can be hunted by predators or people. Even when the danger becomes too close, adults do not show panic and anxiety.
7. In wild conditions, adults at the sight of danger simply begin to move a sufficient distance from the nest. As soon as the threat completely disappears, the couple will return to their masonry. While waiting for offspring, individuals talk and pluck grass. Therefore, shooting a game and picking up eggs is not a difficult task.
8. As mentioned earlier, as soon as the offspring is born, parents begin to molt profusely.Therefore, their ability to fly is completely lost for a while. Such features of birds negatively affect their numbers. In addition, they are destroyed not only by humans, but also by predators.
9. The population of white geese is declining and the problem is that in individuals it is not always possible to reproduce offspring. Often birds nest in the climatic zone of the tundra. The problem is that spring comes late, and besides, sudden frosts and snowfalls often happen. In such conditions, adults are in no hurry to do masonry. In rare cases, geese nest with a small number of eggs.

Geese diseases

1. It is far from a secret that geese, like other representatives of birds, are susceptible to various diseases. The greatest danger to the health of such birds is diarrhea. To a particular extent, such a disease is scary for young animals. The problem is that young individuals still have a rather weak immune system.
2. At a young age, individuals have a very weak organism and are unable to cope with such a disease on their own. As for adult geese, they suffer from such ailments quite rarely. In addition, they alone are able to cope with the disease. In goslings, diarrhea can occur for various reasons.
3. Among the most common, hypothermia should be noted. Because of this nuisance, food begins to be poorly absorbed. The problem is that the growing organism is not quite used to the new conditions of life. Often in young animals, poisoning occurs due to stale or rough food.
4. The problem is that the growing individuals have a very delicate gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, nutrition will directly affect the well-being of individuals. Chicks should be fed very fine food.
5. The problem in the population of white geese is also in the fact that young growth often picks up quite serious infectious diseases that affect the gastrointestinal tract. Often, pathologies are expressed in the form of helminths, pasteurellosis, salmonellosis, enteritis and colibacteriosis.
6. It is because of such serious pathologies that geese often experience severe diarrhea, which is accompanied by a terrible and unbearable smell. In addition, birds can increase body temperature. A bloody admixture is often observed in the litter. The goose loses its appetite, weakness and lethargy is manifested.

Interesting Facts

1. White geese have a unique ability to communicate with each other in their own language. Not every animal can boast of such. Also, birds are able to show anger, joy, fear and pain.
2. As for flights, the flock always forms a wedge, like most birds. A similar technique allows you to achieve less wind resistance. In addition, geese can always see each other.
3. White geese are able to fly very long distances due to their small body mass. This is achieved due to the fact that birds have hollow and light bones.

Birds are harmless when everyone has enough space. In other cases, they hiss and in other ways show discontent. Such a feature. Today we sorted out the main aspects in order of priority.

Video: how to distinguish between domestic breeds of geese