GREYLAG GOOSE
GREYLAG GOOSE (Anser anser) – (See images below)
Feral geese in New Zealand are actually Greylag geese.
The English name ‘Goose’ would have different origins, such as Dutch and German ‘Gans’, Old Norse ‘Gas’, even Spanish ‘Ganso’. Then this would relate the name to Latin ‘anser’ for ‘goose’.
That species of goose is the ancestor of the domesticated goose. This is also the bird that Austrian scientist Konrad Lorenz used for his studies on ‘imprinting’. According to www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz, the Greylag goose was the first bird introduced to New Zealand, not just for food but also to control weeds.
Feral geese in New Zealand are actually Greylag geese.
The English name ‘Goose’ would have different origins, such as Dutch and German ‘Gans’, Old Norse ‘Gas’, even Spanish ‘Ganso’. Then this would relate the name to Latin ‘anser’ for ‘goose’.
That species of goose is the ancestor of the domesticated goose. This is also the bird that Austrian scientist Konrad Lorenz used for his studies on ‘imprinting’. According to www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz, the Greylag goose was the first bird introduced to New Zealand, not just for food but also to control weeds.
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| Greylag geese and Red-billed gull, NZ |
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| Greylag geese, Kaikoura, NZ |
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| Greylag goose getting wary, NZ |
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| Feral Greylag geese on a pond, NZ |
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| Feral Greylag geese, Kaikoura, NZ |
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| Feral Greylag geese in Kaikoura, NZ |
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| Greylag goose looking warily behind |
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| Greylag geese foraging, Kaikoura, NZ |