Egyptian geese have adapted to urban sprawl
Egyptian geese have long necks, long pink legs, a pink bill and brown eye patches encircling each eye.
THE Egyptian goose is mostly a ground living bird, but they will happily perch up in trees or on buildings.
They are native to Africa, south of the equator and used to be seen as a sacred bird by the ancient Egyptians and appeared in much of their artwork. Because of their popularity as an ornamental pet bird, the Egyptian goose has become quite well-established as feral populations in several countries around the world including Western Europe, United States and New Zealand.
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The Egyptian goose is a member of the duck, goose and swan family, Anatidae and has become a very common sight on The Bluff and surrounds in recent years, but it never used to be so. “I remember in high school at Grosvenor Boys back in the late 90s, Mr Jones stopped school proceedings to announce a small flock of Egyptian geese had landed on the school field. Then it was a rare sight to see them, but nowadays, the Egyptian goose can be seen almost anywhere,” said Warren Dick.
Like the Hadeda Ibis, the Egyptian goose has become tolerant of urban sprawl and more importantly, adapted to humans and being fed by them, leading to their numbers exploding in recent years.
Both males and females are aggressively territorial, defending their space against any intruders, specially of their own species. Neighbouring pairs may even kill off the offspring of their neighbours to ensure the survival of their chicks.
Egyptian geese nest in a vast variety of places, but mostly prefer hollows in trees or hijacking other large birds nests. “I have seen them using a black sparrow-hawk nest.”
Both parents partake in nesting duties and protecting the young who are able to move about by themselves and forage for food from day one, just like chickens. They can have up to about 10 or so chicks at a time.
Contact Warren to have some of your interesting insects, snakes or spiders identified. Call or WhatsApp him on 072 211 0353. Visit his Facebook page, Warren’s Small World.
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