MAGPIE GEESE
(Anseranas semipalmata)
Range: Australia & New Guinea.
Habitat: Open wet areas such as floodplains and swamps.
Diet: Seeds, aquatic plants and grasses.
Status: Least Concern (IUCN)
Approx. Dimensions
of Adult:
Length: Up to 92 cm long
Lifespan: 30 years or more.
Offspring: Lay 5-14 eggs at a time.


Magpie-geese are unmistakable birds with their black and white plumage and yellowish legs. The feet are only partially webbed, although the Magpie-goose will feed on vegetable matter in the water as well as on land. Males are larger than females. Unlike true geese, the molt is gradual, and there is no flightless period.They are colonial breeders and are gregarious outside of the breeding season when they can form large and noisy flocks of up to a few thousand individuals. The voice is a loud honking.


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