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Egyptian goose
Alopochen aegyptiacus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
London Wetland Centre
October 2008
One of my favourite of London's wildfowl, the Egyptian goose is not native to Britain, but was introduced from Africa as a decorative bird for stately homes. It hasn't gotten very far from where it was released (southeast England), and have seen it only in Norfolk and in a few areas in southwest London; this is the opposite of the Canada goose (Branta canadensis) of course, which has spread all over the country, displacing native species and being an all-round nuisance and even a cold-blooded killer (I once witnessed a Canada goose drown a coot chick just for the fun of it).
2 comments:
I've seen these folks a lot in London too, and one has just turned up in my local park (paired with a muscovy duck!) but I was suprised to see a resident pair in Devon in the summer.
Great pic btw :)
Thanks!
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