Goose
50484
225453341
2008-07-13T19:48:10Z
67.168.34.157
{{Otheruses}}
{{redirect|Geese|the SNK character|Geese Howard}}
{{Taxobox
| name = Goose
| image = Canada goose flight cropped and NR.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = [[Canada Goose]], ''Branta canadensis''
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| classis = [[Aves]]
| superordo = [[Galloanserae]]
| ordo = [[Anseriformes]]
| familia = [[Anatidae]]
| subfamilia = [[Anserinae]]
| tribus = '''Anserini'''
| tribus_authority =
| subdivision_ranks = [[Genera]]
| subdivision =
''[[Anser (genus)|Anser]]''<br/>
''[[Branta]]''<br/>
and see text
}}
'''Goose''' (plural: '''geese''') is the English name for a considerable number of [[bird]]s, belonging to the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Anatidae]]. This family also includes [[swan]]s, most of which are larger than geese, and [[duck]]s, which are smaller.
This article deals with the '''[[#True geese|true geese]]''' in the [[subfamily]] [[Anserinae]], [[tribe (biology)|tribe]] '''Anserini'''.
A number of other waterbirds, mainly related to the [[shelduck]]s, have "goose" as part of their name.
== Description ==
[[Image:GeeseFlyingOxford20050326 CopyrightKaihsuTai modified.jpg|thumb|left|A flock of [[Greylag Goose|Greylag Geese]]<br> (''Anser anser'')]]
True geese are medium to large birds, always (with the exception of the [[Hawaiian Goose|Nēnē]]) associated to a greater or lesser extent with water. Most species in [[Europe]], [[Asia]], and [[North America]] are strongly [[bird migration|migratory]] as wild birds, breeding in the far north and wintering much farther south. However, escapes and introductions have led to resident feral populations of several species.
Geese have been [[domesticated]] for thousands of years. In the West, farmyard geese are descended from the [[Greylag Goose|Greylag]], but in Asia the [[Swan Goose]] has been farmed for at least as long.
All geese eat a vegetarian diet, and can become pests when flocks feed on arable crops or inhabit ponds or grassy areas in urban environments. They also take [[invertebrate]]s if the opportunity presents itself; domestic geese will try out most novel food items for edibility.
[[Image:2004goose.PNG|thumb|right|Goose headcount in 2004]]
Geese usually mate for life, though a small number will "divorce" and remate. They tend to lay a smaller number of eggs than ducks but both parents protect the nest and young, which usually results in a higher survival rate for the young geese.
Not all couples are heterosexual, as both females and males will form long-term [[homosexuality#Homosexual behavior in animals|same-sex couples]] with greater or lesser frequency depending on species.<ref>Bagemihl (1999): pp.479-481. More detailed data exists for [[Greylag Goose]], [[Canada Goose]], and [[Snow Goose]].</ref> Of the heterosexual couples, a significant proportion are non-breeding despite having an active sexual life.
== Etymology ==
[[Image:Canada goose gosling - natures pics.jpg|thumb|left|[[Canada Goose]]<br> (''Branta canadensis'') gosling]]
''Goose'' in its origins is one of the oldest words of the [[Indo-European language]]s (Crystal), the modern names deriving from the proto-Indo-European root, ''ghans'', hence [[Sanskrit]] ''hamsa'' (feminine ''hamsii''), Latin ''anser'', Greek ''khén'' etc.
In the [[Germanic language]]s, the root word led to Old English ''gos'' with the plural ''gés'', German ''Gans'' and Old Norse ''gas''. Other modern derivatives are Russian ''gus'' and Old Irish ''géiss''; the family name of the cleric [[Jan Hus]] is derived from the Czech derivative ''husa''.
The male goose is called a '''gander''' (Anglo-Saxon ''gandra'') and the female is the '''goose''' (''[[Noah Webster|Webster]]'s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)''); young birds before fledging are known as '''goslings'''. A group of geese on the ground is called a '''gaggle'''; when flying in formation, it is called a '''wedge''' or a '''skein''' (see also [[List of collective nouns for birds]]).
== True geese ==
The following are the living [[genus|genera]] of '''true geese''':
* ''[[Anser (genus)|Anser]]'' - Grey Geese, including the [[domesticated goose]] and the [[Swan Goose]]
* ''[[Chen (genus)|Chen]]'' - White Geese (often included in ''Anser'')
* ''[[Branta]]'' - Black Geese, such as the [[Canada goose]]
The following two genera are only tentatively placed in the Anserinae; they may belong to the [[shelduck]]s or form a subfamily on their own:
* ''[[Cereopsis]]'' - Cape Barren Goose
* ''Cnemiornis'' - New Zealand Geese ([[Late Quaternary prehistoric birds|prehistoric]])
Either these or - more probably - the goose-like [[Coscoroba Swan]] is the closest living relative of the true geese.
[[Fossil]]s of true geese are hard to assign to genus; all that can be said is that their fossil record, particularly in [[North America]], is dense and comprehensively documents a lot of the different species of true geese that have been around since about 10 [[million years ago]] in the [[Miocene]]. The aptly-named ''Anser atavus'' ("Great-great-great-grandfather goose") from some 12 million years ago had even more [[plesiomorph]]ies in common with swans. In addition, there are some goose-like birds known from [[subfossil]] remains found on the [[Hawaiian Islands]]. See [[Anserinae]] for more.
== Other birds called "geese" ==
There are a number of mainly [[southern hemisphere]] birds called "geese", most of which belong to the [[shelduck]] subfamily [[Tadorninae]]. These are:
* [[Orinoco Goose]], ''Neochen jubata''
* [[Egyptian Goose]], ''Alopochen aegyptiacus''
* The South American [[sheldgoose|sheldgeese]], genus ''Chloephaga''
* The [[Late Quaternary prehistoric birds|prehistoric]] [[Madagascar Sheldgoose]], ''Centrornis majori'', the "Woodard"{{Verify source|date=January 2008}}{{Fact|date=January 2008}}
The [[Blue-winged Goose]], ''Cyanochen cyanopterus'' belongs either to these, or to lineage closer to ducks.
The [[Spur-winged Goose]], ''Plectropterus gambensis'', is most closely related to the shelducks, but distinct enough to warrant its own subfamily, the [[Plectropterinae]].
The three species of small waterfowl in the genus ''[[Nettapus]]'' are named "pygmy geese", e.g. the [[Cotton Pygmy Goose]] (''N. javanica''). They seem to represent an ancient lineage like the Cape Barren Goose and the Spur-winged Goose.
A genus of prehistorically [[extinct]] [[seaduck]]s, ''[[Chendytes]]'', is sometimes called "diving-geese" due to their large size.
The unusual [[Magpie-goose]] is in a family of its own, the Anseranatidae.
The [[Northern Gannet]], a seabird, is also known as the "Solan Goose" although it is a bird unrelated to the true geese, or any other [[Anseriformes]] for that matter.
== See also ==
* [[Angel Wing]] - A disease common in geese.
* [[Domesticated goose]], which includes cooking and folklore
* [[List of goose breeds]]
* [[Waterfowl]]
* [[Wildfowl]]
== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}
== References ==
* {{aut|Bagemihl, Bruce}} (1999): ''Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity''. St. Martin's Press. <small>ISBN 0-312-19239-8</small>
* {{aut|Carboneras, Carles}} (1992): Family Anatidae (Ducks, Geese and Swans). ''In:'' {{aut|del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds.)}}: ''[[Handbook of Birds of the World]]'' (Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks): 536-629, plates 40-50. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. <small>ISBN 84-87334-10-5</small>
* {{aut|Crystal, David}} (1998): ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language'' (Paperback) <small>ISBN 0-521-55967-7</small>
* {{aut|Terres, John K. & [[National Audubon Society]]}} (1991): ''The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds''. Wings Books, New York. Reprint of 1980 edition. <small>ISBN 0-517-03288-0</small>
== External links ==
{{commonscat|Geese}}
{{wiktionarypar|goose}}
*[http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia=27 Goose videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
[[Category:Anserini]]
[[Category:Birds of the United States]]
[[Category:Geese| ]]
[[Category:Heraldic birds]]
[[Category:Tribes of birds]]
[[ar:أوزة]]
[[ca:Oca]]
[[cs:Husa]]
[[pdc:Gans]]
[[de:Gänse]]
[[es:Ganso]]
[[eo:Ansero]]
[[fr:Oie]]
[[hak:Ap-è]]
[[ko:거위]]
[[io:Ganso]]
[[is:Gæs]]
[[it:Oca (zoologia)]]
[[he:אווז]]
[[sw:Bata bukini]]
[[ht:Zwa]]
[[la:Anser]]
[[cdo:Ngiè]]
[[nl:Ganzen]]
[[ja:ガチョウ]]
[[pl:Gęśce]]
[[pt:Ganso]]
[[ru:Гусиные]]
[[sr:Гуска]]
[[sv:Gäss]]
[[tl:Gansa (anser)]]
[[th:ห่าน]]
[[tr:Kaz]]
[[zh:鹅]]