Magpie Goose : In flight . . .
This image is included in 5 galleries :- 1) "Favourite Landscapes" curated by MK Hardy, 2 "INTERPHOTO: NATURE / LANDSCAPES / " by Gianfranco Marzetti, 3) "Natura" by Stefano Bacci, 4) "Wildlife" by Chris Boothman and 5) "Celebrating yet more Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World" by Jeffrey Caldwell.
The magpie goose is the sole living representative species of the family Anseranatidae. This common waterbird is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. As the species is prone to wandering, especially when not breeding, it is sometimes recorded outside its core range. The species was once also widespread in southern Australia, but disappeared from there largely due to the drainage of the wetlands where the birds once bred. Due to their importance to the local aboriginals as a seasonal food source, as subjects of recreational hunting, and as a tourist attraction, their expansive and stable presence in northern Australia has been "ensured protective management".
Magpie geese are unmistakable birds with their black and white plumage and yellowish legs. The feet are only partially webbed, and the magpie goose feeds on vegetable matter in the water, as well as on land. Males are larger than females. Unlike true geese, their moult is gradual, so no flightless periods result. Their voice is a loud honking.
This was taken at Serendip Sanctuary. Serendip Sanctuary is part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape in the traditional Country of the Wadawurrung Peoples. It is a 250 ha protected area in Victoria, Australia, near the You Yangs and the town of Lara, about 22 km north of Geelong and 60 km south-west of Melbourne.
Magpie Goose : In flight . . .
This image is included in 5 galleries :- 1) "Favourite Landscapes" curated by MK Hardy, 2 "INTERPHOTO: NATURE / LANDSCAPES / " by Gianfranco Marzetti, 3) "Natura" by Stefano Bacci, 4) "Wildlife" by Chris Boothman and 5) "Celebrating yet more Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World" by Jeffrey Caldwell.
The magpie goose is the sole living representative species of the family Anseranatidae. This common waterbird is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. As the species is prone to wandering, especially when not breeding, it is sometimes recorded outside its core range. The species was once also widespread in southern Australia, but disappeared from there largely due to the drainage of the wetlands where the birds once bred. Due to their importance to the local aboriginals as a seasonal food source, as subjects of recreational hunting, and as a tourist attraction, their expansive and stable presence in northern Australia has been "ensured protective management".
Magpie geese are unmistakable birds with their black and white plumage and yellowish legs. The feet are only partially webbed, and the magpie goose feeds on vegetable matter in the water, as well as on land. Males are larger than females. Unlike true geese, their moult is gradual, so no flightless periods result. Their voice is a loud honking.
This was taken at Serendip Sanctuary. Serendip Sanctuary is part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape in the traditional Country of the Wadawurrung Peoples. It is a 250 ha protected area in Victoria, Australia, near the You Yangs and the town of Lara, about 22 km north of Geelong and 60 km south-west of Melbourne.