Bird’s ID – Lifer # 233
Egyptian Goose
Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) is a member of the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. It is native to Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile Valley. Egyptian geese were considered sacred by the Ancient Egyptians, and appeared in much of their artwork. Because of their popularity chiefly as an ornamental bird, escapees are common and feral populations have become established in Western Europe, the United States, and New Zealand. This species breeds widely in Africa except in deserts and dense forests, and is locally abundant. They are found mostly in the Nile Valley and south of the Sahara. While not breeding, it disperses somewhat, sometimes making longer migrations northwards into the arid regions of the Sahel. It spread to Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy where there are self-sustaining populations which are mostly derived from escaped ornamental birds. Escapes have also bred on occasion in other places, such as Texas, Florida, California and New Zealand. This is a largely terrestrial species, which will also perch readily on trees and buildings. Egyptian geese typically eat seeds, leaves, grasses and plant stems. Occasionally, they will eat locusts, worms, or other small animals.
© HJ Ruiz – Avian101
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
Excellent capture, HJ!!
I appreciate that, Indira. 🙂
This Texan has seen these birds. A pair showed up at a marina where I was working, and hung around for a couple of weeks. They might have been nesting somewhere, because they kept pulling palm fronds from the top of a palapa on the property. There’s certainly no mistaking the noise that they make!
Thank you very much, Linda. 🙂
A very familiar sight in this part of the world! Glad to know you could add it to your list, H.J. but I wish your first encounter with it could’ve been in its native range.
Not all the time we can ignore birds that are vagrants. It’s hard to be in every Country of the world. Thanks, D. 🙂
Interesting! I had never heard of these geese. Thanks for the info HJ.
Thanks so much, Chris. 🙂
Nice read. Thank you for sharing. Wonderful photos.
Thank you so much! 🙂