>>Genus Cnemiornis (New Zealand Geese)

New Zealand Geese

New Zealand Geese
Skeleton of Cnemiornis calcitrans
Conservation status
Extinct (c 1400?)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae
Genus:	Cnemiornis
Species
Cnemiornis gracilis Cnemiornis calcitrans

The New Zealand Geese formed the extinct genus Cnemiornis of the family Anatidae, subfamily Anserinae.

The genus, endemic to New Zealand, consisted of two species: the North Island Goose, C. gracilis and the South Island Goose C. calcitrans. They were flightless with much-reduced webbing on the feet, an adaptation for terrestrial dwelling similar to that of the nene of Hawaii. They were never particularly common, and like many other large New Zealand endemic species they were subject to hunting pressures from the settling Polynesians, as well as predation upon their eggs and hatchlings by kiore(which accompanied the settlers) and the settlers' dogs, and were extinct before the arrival of European settlers.

>>Genus Cereopsis >Cape Barren Goose

Cape Barren Goose

Cape Barren Goose
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae
Tribe:	Cereopsini
Genus:	Cereopsis Latham, 1802
Species:	C. novaehollandiae
Binomial name
Cereopsis novaehollandiae Latham, 1802
subspecies
C. n. novaehollandiae Latham, 1802 C. n. grisea (Vieillot, 1818)
Distribution of the Cape Barren Goose

The Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a large goose resident in southern Australia. The species is named for Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers.

Taxonomy

It is a most peculiar goose of uncertain affiliations (Sraml et al. 1996). It may either belong into the "true geese" and swan subfamily Anserinae or into the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae as distinct tribe Cereopsini, or be separated, possibly including the prehistorically extinct flightless New Zealand Geese of the genus Cnemiornis, in a distinct subfamily Cereopsinae. Indeed, the first bones of the New Zealand birds to be discovered were similar enough to those of the Cape Barren Goose to erroneously refer to them as "New Zealand Cape Barren Goose" ("Cereopsis" novaezeelandiae).

The smaller population of Cape Barren Goose in Western Australia is described as a subspecies,Cereopsis novaehollandiae grisea, and named for the group of islands known as the Recherche Archipelago.

Description

Pair in Tasmania

Two at Cleland Wildlife Park, Australia

Nesting

Juvenile on Maria Island

These are bulky geese and their almost uniformly grey plumage, bearing rounded black spots, is unique. The tail and flight feathers are blackish and the legs are pink with black feet. The short, decurved black bill and green cere gives it a very peculiar expression.

The Cape Barren Goose is 75 to 100 cm (30 to 39 in) long, weighs 3 to 7 kg (6.6 to 15 lb) and has a 150 to 190 cm (59 to 75 in) wingspan; males are somewhat larger than females. This bird feeds by grazing and rarely swims.

Behaviour

Their ability to drink salt or brackish water allows numbers of geese to remain on offshore islands all year round. They are one of the rarest of the world's geese. It is gregarious outside the breeding season, when it wanders more widely, forming small flocks.

Range and habitat

A previous decline in numbers appears to have been reversed as birds in the east at least have adapted to feeding on agricultural land. The breeding areas are grassy islands off the Australian coast, where this species nests on the ground in colonies. It bears captivity well, quite readily breeding in confinement if large enough paddocks are provided.

In Australia, 19th-century explorers named a number of islands "Goose Island" due to the species' presence there.

In 1968, a small number of geese were introduced to Maria Island.

>>Genus Coscoroba >Coscoroba Swan

Coscoroba Swan

Coscoroba Swan
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae
Genus:	Coscoroba L. Reichenbach, 1853
Species:	C. coscoroba
Binomial name
Coscoroba coscoroba (Molina, 1782)

The Coscoroba Swan (Coscoroba coscoroba) is a species of waterfowl inhabiting southern South America. It is the smallest of the birds called "swans", but still a large species of waterfowl, averaging 4.2 kg (9.3 lbs), 1 m (3.3 ft) long and 1.57 m (5.2 ft) across the wings. It belongs to the subfamily Anserinae in the family of ducks, swans, and geese, Anatidae. It is placed in the monotypic genus Coscoroba.

Description

Flying

Male Coscoroba Swans weigh 3.8–5.4 kg (8.4–12 lb) and females weigh 3.2–4.5 kg (7.1–9.9 lb). Length is from 87.5 to 115 cm (34.4 to 45 in) and wingspan is 155 to 160 cm (61 to 63 in). has white plumage except for black tips to the outer six primary feathers, although this black is often barely visible on the closed wing. In flight, the black wing tips are conspicuous. The bird has a red beak, legs and feet. They look somewhat more like geese than swans. The female looks almost identical to the male. The cygnet is a patchy color, with brown and gray hues. The Coscoroba Swan is also lacking the black mask that other swans have where their lores are between the eyes and beak. They look like a very small swan in body and look like a goose in the head.Eggs have a measure 89 X 61 mm, with averages of 82 to 94 53 to 67 mm, with an average weight of 170 grams and range from 129 to 203 grams

Juveniles in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Swimming

At Berlin Zoo, Germany

Distribution and habitat

The Coscoroba Swan breeds in South America from southern Chile and central Argentina south toTierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. In winter it flies north to central Chile, northern Argentina, Uruguay and the south east tip of Brazil. Its habitat is well-vegetated swamps and lagoons. Its population is estimated as 10,000–25,000 birds.

Behaviour

The Coscoroba Swan feeds mainly on grasses and small water plants, but also mussels and fish. The female incubates the eggs, while the male stands guard and aggressively helps to protect the fledglings against predators after hatching. Coscoroba Swans live to an age of approximately twenty years. It also has an ancient route to the Pantanal of Brazil, has been seen in large flocks in the Nhecolandia and Rio Negro regions

>Branta sandvicensis (Nene)

Nene (bird)

Nene
At Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii, USA
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae
Tribe:	Anserini
Genus:	Branta
Species:	B. sandvicensis
Binomial name
Branta sandvicensis (Vigors, 1833)

The Nene, also known as Nēnē and Hawaiian Goose, (Branta sandvicensis) is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The official bird of the state of Hawaiʻi, the Nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi. The Hawaiian name Nēnē comes from its soft call.

Evolution

The Nene evolved from the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), which most likely migrated to the Hawaiian islands 500,000 years ago, shortly after the island of Hawaiʻi was formed. This ancestor is the progenitor of the Nene as well as the prehistoric Giant Hawaiʻi Goose and Nēnē-nui (Branta hylobadistes). The Nēnē-nui was larger than the Nene, varied from flightless to flighted depending on the individual, and inhabited the island of Maui. Similar fossil geese found on Oʻahu and Kauaʻimay be of the same species. The Giant Hawaiʻi Goose was restricted to the island of Hawaiʻi and measured 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in length with a mass of 8.6 kilograms (19 lb), making it more than four times larger than the Nene. It is believed that the herbivorous Giant Hawaiʻi Goose occupied the same ecological niche as the goose-like ducks known as moa-nalo, which were not present on the Big Island.Based on mitochondrial DNA found in fossils, all Hawaiian geese, living and dead, are closely related to the Giant Canada Goose (B. c. maxima) and Dusky Canada Goose (B. c. occidentalis).

Description

Chick on Kauai

The Nene is a medium-sized goose at 41 centimetres (16 in) tall. Although they spend most of their time on the ground, they are capable of flight, with some individuals flying daily between nesting and feeding areas. Females have a mass of 1.525–2.56 kilograms (3.36–5.6 lb), while males average 1.695–3.05 kilograms (3.74–6.7 lb), 11% larger than females.Adult males have a black head and hindneck, buff cheeks and heavily furrowed neck. The neck has black and white diagonal stripes. Aside from being smaller, the female Nene is similar to the male in colouration. The adult's bill, legs and feet are black. It has soft feathers under its chin. Goslings resemble the male, but are a duller brown and with less demarcation between the colours of the head and neck, and striping and barring effects are much reduced. The bill, legs and feet are the same as for the adult.Its strong toes are padded and have reduced webbing, an adaptation that allows it to swiftly traverse rough terrain such as lava plains.

Habitat and range

The Nene could at one time be found on the islands of Hawaiʻi, Maui, Kahoʻolawe, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, and Kauaʻi. Today, its range is restricted to Hawaiʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Kauaʻi. The Nene is an inhabitant of shrubland, grassland, coastal dunes, and lava plains, and related anthropogenic habitats such as pasture and golf courses from sea level to as much as 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). Some populations migrated between lowland breeding grounds and montane foraging areas.

Breeding

The breeding season of the Nene, from August to April, is longer than that of any other goose; most eggs are laid between November and January. Unlike most other waterfowl, the Nene mates on land. Nests are built by females on a site of their choosing, in which one to five eggs are laid (average is three on Maui and Hawaiʻi, four on Kauaʻi). Females incubate the eggs for 29 to 32 days, while the male acts as a sentry. Goslings are precocial, able to feed on their own; they remain with their parents until the following breeding season.

Diet

The Nene is a herbivore that will either graze or browse, depending on the availability of vegetation. Food items include the leaves, seeds,fruit, and flowers of grasses and shrubs.

Conservation

The Nene is the world's rarest goose. It is believed that it once was common, with approximately 25,000 Hawaiian Geese living in Hawaiʻi when Captain James Cook arrived in 1778.However, hunting and introduced predators, such as Small Asian Mongooses, pigs, and cats, reduced the population to 30 birds by 1952. However, this species breeds well in captivity, and has been successfully re-introduced; in 2004, it was estimated that there were 800 birds in the wild, as well as 1000 in wildfowl collections and zoos. However, there is some concern of inbreeding due to the small initial population of birds. The nature reserve, WWT Slimbridge, in England, was instrumental in the successful breeding of Hawaiian Geese in captivity. Under the direction of the leading conservationist Peter Scott, it was bred back from the brink of extinction during the 1950s for later re-introduction into the wild in Hawaiʻi. There are still Hawaiian Geese at Slimbridge today. They can now be found in captivity in every WWT centre. Successful introductions include Haleakala and Piʻiholo ranches on Maui.

Gallery

• 

  The distinctive neck pattern
 
• 

  Nene family
 
• 

  A group of Hawaiian Geese; the bird on the right shows the characteristic foot
 
• 

  A sign in Hawaiʻi warning of crossing Hawaiian Geese
 
• 

  Two Hawaiian Geese at the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.
 
• 

  Group of Hawaiian Geese on the golf course of Waikoloa in April 2010.
 
• 

  Two Hawaiian Geese on Pali Trail between Māʻalaeaand Lāhainā
 
• 

  At  WWT Slimbridge in England
 
• 

  An illustration by Frederick William Frohawk

>Branta ruficollis (Red-breasted Goose)

Red-breasted Goose

Red-breasted Goose
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae
Tribe:	Anserini
Genus:	Branta
Species:	B. ruficollis
Binomial name
Branta ruficollis (Pallas, 1769)
Synonyms
Rufibrenta ruficollis

The Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis) is a brightly marked, endangered species of goose in the genus Branta from Eurasia. It is sometimes separated in Rufibrenta but appears close enough to the Brent Goose (Branta bernicla) to make this unnecessary, despite its distinct appearance.

Description

Red-breasted Goose swimming

All the species of the Branta genus are distinguished by their dark sooty colour, relieved by white, and as a distinction from the grey geese of the genus Anser. Among the species from these two genera, the Red-breasted Goose is the smallest at 53–56 centimetres (21–22 in) in length. This brightly marked species is unmistakable, but can be surprisingly difficult to find amongst Brent Geese. At long distances, the red of the breast tends to look dark, and the broad white stripe on the flank is more evident.

 

Distribution

The Red-breasted Goose breeds in Arctic Siberia, mainly on the Taymyr Peninsula, with smaller populations in the Gydan and Yamal peninsulas.Most winter along the northwestern shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria,Romania and Ukraine (occasionally moving further southwest to Greece), but some winter in Azerbaijan.It is a rare vagrant to Great Britain and other western European areas, where it is sometimes found with flocks of Brent or Barnacle Geese.However, since it is common in captive wildfowl collections, escapees outside its usual range are fairly frequent.

Behaviour

Front view

The Red-breasted Goose often nests close to nests of birds of prey, such as Snowy Owls and Peregrine Falcons, which helps to protect this small goose from mammalian predators such as the Arctic Fox.

While wintering, the Red-breasted Goose feeds on grasses, leafs and seeds.

Conservation

The Red-breasted Goose is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. It was considered a Vulnerable species by the IUCN. Over 80% of the population roost during the winter at just five sites, with nearby feeding areas threatened by changes in land use. In addition, there has been a strong decline in numbers in the last decades. As it is not clear to what extent the known population fluctuates in this species – as in other Arctic geese – and given the worsening outlook for the species as a whole, the Red-breasted Goose was uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Endangered status in the 2007 IUCN Red List.

>Branta hutchinsii (Cackling Goose)

Cackling Goose

Cackling Goose
Aleutian Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii leucopareia
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae
Tribe:	Anserini
Genus:	Branta
Species:	B. hutchinsii
Binomial name
Branta hutchinsii (Richardson, 1832)
Subspecies
B. h. hutchinsii Richardson's Cackling Goose (Richardson, 1832) B. h. asiatica Bering Cackling Goose (Aldrich, 1946) (disputed; extinct) B. h. leucopareia Aleutian Cackling Goose (Brandt, 1836) B. h. taverneri Taverner's Cackling Goose (Delacour, 1951) B. h. minima Small Cackling Goose (Ridgway, 1885)
Synonyms
Branta canadensis hutchinsii

The Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) is a North American bird of the genus Branta of blackgeese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species.

The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" distinguish this goose from all except the larger Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) and the similarly sized Barnacle Goose (B. leucopsis). There are up to 5 subspecies of Cackling Goose, of varying sizes and plumage details. Some are hard to distinguish from the Canada Goose, with which the Cackling Goose was long assumed to form one species, the Cackling Goose and the smaller Canada Goose subspecies being called the Lesser Canada Goose. The smallest 1.4 kg-Cackling Geese (B. h. minima) are much smaller than any Canada Goose, but the subspecies B. h. hutchinsii, at up to 3 kg, grows to the same size as some Canada Geese. The distinctness of the extinct population of the Komandorski and Kuril Islands B. h. asiatica is controversial. The Barnacle Goose differs in having a black breast and grey, rather than brownish, body plumage.

This species is native to North America. It breeds in northern Canada and Alaska in a variety oftundra habitats. However, the nest is usually located in an elevated area near water. The eggs are laid in a shallow depression lined with plant material and down. Males can be very aggressive in defending territory. A pair may mate for life (up to around 20 years). The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter and has a different voice. Adult geese are often seen leading their goslings in a line with one parent at the front, and the other at the back of the "parade".

Like most geese, it is naturally migratory, the wintering range being most of the U.S., and locally in western Canada and northern Mexico. The calls overhead from large groups of Cackling Geese flying in V-shaped formation signal the transitions into spring and fall. In some areas, migration routes have changed due to changes in habitat and food sources.

Cackling Geese have occasionally reached western Europe naturally, as has been proved by ringing recoveries. The birds are of at least the subspecies hutchinsii, and possibly others. Cackling Geese are also found naturally on occasions in the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Siberia, eastern China, and throughout Japan.

These birds feed mainly on plant material. When feeding in water, they submerge their heads and necks to reach aquatic plants, sometimes tipping forward like a dabbling duck. Flocks of these birds often feed on leftover cultivated grains in fields, especially during migration or in winter. They also eat some insects, molluscs and crustaceans.

By the early 20th century, over-hunting and loss of habitat in the late 19th and early 20th centuries had resulted in a serious decline in the numbers of this bird in its native range. With improved game laws and habitat recreation and preservation programs, their populations have recovered in most of their range, although some local populations may still be declining, especially of the subspecies minima and leucopareia. Though the taxonomic distinctness of the Komandorski and Kuril Islands populations, which used to winter in Japan, is controversial, it is without doubt that they disappeared around 1929.

B. h. minima family

Systematics

The Cackling Goose was originally considered to be the same species or a subspecies of the Canada Goose, but in July 2004 the American Ornithologists' Union's (AOU) Committee on Classification and Nomenclature split the two into two species, making Cackling Goose into a full species with the scientific name Branta hutchinsii. The British Ornithologists Union followed suit in June 2005.

The AOU has divided the many associated subspeciesbetween both animals. To the present species were assigned:

• Richardson's Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii)
• Aleutian Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii leucopareia)
• Small Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii minima)
• Taverner's Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii taverneri)
• †Bering Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii asiatica) - doubtfully distinct from B. h. leucopareia; extinct (c.1929)

The distinctions between the two geese have led to a great deal of confusion and debate among ornithologists. This has been aggravated by the overlap between the small types of Canada Goose and larger types of Cackling Goose. Most interestingly, the old "Lesser Canada Goose" was believed to be a partly hybrid population, with the birds named taverneri considered a mixture of minima, occidentalis and parvipes. In addition, it has been determined that the Barnacle Goose is a derivative of the Cackling Goose lineage, whereas the Hawaiian Goose is an insular representative of the Canada Goose.

A recent proposed revision by Harold Hanson suggests splitting Canada and Cackling Goose into six species and 200 subspecies. This radical nature of this proposal has provoked surprise in some quarters; Richard Banks of the AOU urges caution before any of Hanson's proposals are accepted.