Many people consider geese to be strange creatures, but there is so much about these birds that many don’t know.
If you’re interested in fun facts about geese, keep reading!
Top 13 Interesting Geese Facts:
1. Goslings will bond to anything.
Whatever a gosling sees when they first hatch, they will bond to. This includes anything that moves, whether it is alive or not. It may also include people if you happen to be around when the goslings are hatching.
They will follow and be dedicated to whatever person or object that they’ve bonded to. This applies to ducks, too.
Geese are extremely social creatures. They tend to get along with other animals without a problem, which makes them ideal for livestock purposes. They always hang around with other geese in the wild too.
3. Their diet is varied.
These geese eat a wide variety of different things. They mostly eat vegetation from underneath the water’s surface, including most water plants and grasses. However, they will also eat bugs if they can get their beak on them. Insects make up a much smaller part of their diet, though.
If available, they will also eat seeds, nuts, and berries.
Geese are opportunistic eaters, so they will eat just about anything offered to them. If it is made available and is edible, they will eat it.
4. They are one of the largest birds.
A goose is one of the largest waterfowl. Another is a swan. With that said, different species of geese are different sizes. Some are larger than others.
5. Geese spend much of their time on land.
While these birds are technically waterfowl, they spend most of their time on land. They can and do swim, but they also spend time out of the water.
6. Flying in a “V” is quite effective.
Geese fly in a “V” shape for a good reason. It can increase their flight distance by as much as 71%. When the goose in front gets tired, another goose takes their place.
The geese in the back benefit from the airlift from the wings of the goose in front of them, which makes the work easier. Therefore, this method is incredibly effective for flying long distances.
7. Geese are loyal to their families.
Most geese mate for life. They spend their lives protecting their mate and children. Geese often remember their children their whole life, though they do not stay together the whole time. Upon maturity, the baby geese will leave the nest and find their own mates.
When their mate dies, a goose will exhibit mourning behavior. They also mourn when their children or eggs die.
8. Geese make constant improvements to their nests.
Geese keep the same nests for many years and constantly make improvements to them. They use feathers, twigs, barks, and leaves to improve it throughout the season. Their nests can become quite large, and they often spend hours a day making it during nesting season.
9. They bond to other geese.
Geese will readily bond with other geese, even if they aren’t related to them. If the goose is in the same formation as them, they will often protect that goose. If they drop out of formation due to an injury, a few other geese may also drop out to protect and care for the wounded one.
10. Geese have been domesticated for thousands of years.
Geese have been domesticated for a long time, about the last 3,000 years. That is long time, though not nearly as long as some other animals.
11. Not all geese mate for life.
While most geese mate for life in the wild, domesticated geese do not. In many cases, a male will keep a harem of three to four females. However, geese will still mourn the removal of another goose, so they must be kept together for life in most cases.
If there are no other geese, it is common for geese to bond with other animals in the place of a mate.
12. Geese are effective at weed removal.
Geese are sometimes leased out to farms as a pesticide-free weed removal service. While this practice has become less popular, it is still done today.
13. Geese often have fertility problems.
In many cases, domesticated goose breeds have fertility problems. Therefore, you can only keep a small number of females with a single male, as this will produce the most fertile eggs. Otherwise, you might not get many fertile eggs.
Conclusion
Geese are social and bond closely with other geese, something that you need to keep in mind if you raise them. While wild geese often bond with one partner, this is not always the case with domesticated geese.
Fertility problems are common with domestic geese, so you often have to take steps to overcome this issue. Geese are also multi-purposed. They are fantastic at removing weeds and are sometimes used as natural weeders by farmers.
Featured Image Credit: Piqsels