Image by Jim Linwood
The Bar-headed Goose (rear) is a very striking species. Both sexes share the twin-barring on the head. The rest of the head is white with a streak running down the sides of the neck. The back of the neck is dark gray to black, rest of the body gray overall. To insure you have a pair, you may need to vent sex. Immature geese are somewhat paler and lack the bars on the head.
The Emperor Goose (Chen canagica) (front left) is a species of goose. It breeds around the Bering Sea, mostly in Alaska, USA, but also in Kamchatka, Russia. It is migratory, wintering mainly in the Aleutian Islands.
The Superior White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) (front right) is a goose species closely related to the smaller Lesser White-fronted Goose (A. erythropus).
“I am reassured by life’s stability, by earth’s unchangeableness.. what has seemed new and frightening assumes its place in the unfolding of information.. It is excellent to know our universe.. what is new is only new to us”..The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to Arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body. It is often called the Canadian Goose, but that name is not the ornithological standard, or the most common name.The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" characterize the Canada Goose from all other goose species, with the exception of the Barnacle Goose, but the latter has a black breast, and also grey, rather than brownish, body plumage. There are seven subspecies of this bird, of varying sizes and plumage details, but all are recognizable as Canada Geese. Some of the smaller races can be hard to characterize from the newly-separated Cackling Goose.
This species is 76–110 cm (30–43 in) long with a 127–180 cm (50–71 in) wingspan. The male usually weighs 3.2–6.5 kg, (7–14 pounds), and can be very aggressive in defending territory. The female looks virtually like peas in a pod but is slightly lighter at 2.5–5.5 kg (5.5–12 pounds), commonly 10% smaller than its male counterpart, and has a different honk. An exceptionally large male of the race B. c. maxima, the "giant Canada goose" (which rarely exceed 8 kg/18 lb), weighed 10.9 kg (24 pounds) and had a wingspan of 2.24 m (88 inches). This specimen is the largest wild goose ever recorded of any species. The life span in the wild is 10–24 years.
During the second year of their lives, Canada Geese find a mate. They are monogamous, and most couples stay together all of their lives If one is killed, the other may find a new mate. The female lays 3–8 eggs and both parents protect the nest while the eggs incubate, but the female spends more time at the nest than the male.
Adult geese are often seen leading their goslings in a line, usually with one parent at the front, and the other at the back. While protecting their goslings, parents often violently chase away nearby creatures, from small blackbirds to humans that approach, after warning them by giving off a hissing sound. Most of the species that prey on eggs will also take a gosling. Although parents are hostile to unfamiliar geese, they may form groups of a number of goslings and a few adults, called crèches. The offspring enter the fledging stage any time from 6 to 9 weeks of age. They do not leave their parents until after the spring migration, when they return to their birthplace. Once they reach later life, Canada Geese are rarely preyed on, but (beyond humans) can be taken by Coyotes, Red Foxes, Gray Wolves, Snowy Owls, Fantastic Horned Owls, Golden Eagles and, most often, Bald Eagles.
Image by Biillyboy
The most commonly seen Goose in Sweden.
We have many goose species in Sweden that is breding or just passing by to their sommer lookations, but i only saw this specie at Hornborjasjön.
Their were probroly others but i dident spot them in the crowd of birds.
And it can be a bit hard to spot 1 diffrent specie in a group of Greylag Gooses without a excellent spotting scope/monocular.
The Bean Goose for exampel is quit simular to the Greylag Goose.
What do you think? Please comment below to tell me.
Ey up mi duck" is a well loved greeting in the East Midlands. But talking to native East Midlanders in their distinctive dialect can be a mesmerising experience for outsiders.
It’s often hard to pick up the twang in the voice or that extraordinary turn of phrase.
But the East Midlands takes fantastic pride in its distinctive dialect as Inside Out finds out on a linguistic tour of the region.
Ey up mi duck!
The East Midlands is renowned for its distinctive dialects from the Derbyshire brogue to Nottingham’s no-nonsense style of talking.
East Midlands Dialect
Test your information of Midlands dialect:
Ay (or ey) up mi duck – hello there!
Aya gorra weeya? – is the wife with you?
It’s black uvver Bill’s mother’s – it looks like rain
Coggie – swimming costume
Croaker – doctor
Duck’s necks – bottle of lemonade
Gorra bag on – in a terrible mood
Laropped – drunk
Nesh – cold
Ancient cock – friend or mate
Page owl – single woman out alone at night
Skants – pants
The rally – the railway line
Thiz summat up wee im – I reckon he may be ill
Who’s mashing? – who’s making the cups of tea
Despite the fading of ancient traditions and huge shifts in how we communicate globally, it appears that dialect and accents are subdue going strong in the East Midlands.
Much of the dialect developed in rural communities and in the industrial heartlands of the region.
Mining communities in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire were renowned for their use of dialect.
At a time when regions are bringing up the rear some of their traditional dialect, the East Midlands is keen to retain its cultural identity and linguistic style.
Although some words are dying out, East Midlanders are keen to celebrate their local language.
Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not speak for a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered ducks. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than the swans and geese, and may be found in both fresh water and sea water.Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules, and coots.
The word duck comes from Ancient English *d?ce, a derivative of the verb *d?can "to duck, bend down low as if to get under something, or dive", because of the way many species in the dabbling duck group feed by upending; compare with Dutch duiken and German tauchen "to dive".This word replaced Ancient English æned "duck", favored by æned presumably developing into a homophone of the outcome of Ancient English ende "end". Other Germanic languages subdue have similar words for "duck", for example, Dutch eend "duck" and German Ente "duck". The word æned was inherited from Proto-Indo-European; compare: Latin anas "duck", Lithuanian ántis "duck", Ancient Greek n?ssa/n?tta (?????, ?????) "duck", and Sanskrit ?tí "water bird", among others.Some public use "duck" specifically for adult females and "drake" for adult males, for the species described here; others use "hen" and "drake", respectively.A duckling is a childish duck in downy plumage or baby duck. but in the food trade childish adult ducks ready for roasting are sometimes marked "duckling".The overall body plot of ducks is elongated and broad, and the ducks are also relatively long-necked, albeit not as long-necked as the geese and swans. The body shape of diving ducks varies somewhat from this in life more rounded. The bill is usually broad and contains serrated lamellae which are particularly well defined in the filter-feeding species. In the case of some fishing species the bill is long and strongly serrated. The scaled legs are strong and well developed, and commonly set far back on the body, more so in the highly aquatic species. The wings are very strong and are commonly small and pointed, and the flight of ducks requires quick continuous strokes, requiring in turn strong wing muscles. Three species of steamer duck are very nearly flightless, but. Many species of duck are temporarily flightless while moulting; they seek out protected habitat with excellent food supplies during this period. This moult typically precedes migration.The drakes of northern species often have extravagant plumage, but that is moulted in summer to give a more female-like appearance, the "eclipse" plumage. Southern resident species typically show less sexual dimorphism, although there are exceptions like the Paradise Shelduck of New Zealand which is both strikingly sexually dimorphic and where the female’s plumage is brighter than that of the male. The plumage of juvenile birds commonly resembles that of the female.
Resident: Duck with mangled beak left for dead in park
HUNTINGTON BEACH–A local woman says the Orange County Animal Care Services should have rescued a duck with a mangled beak that was left in Chris Carr Park for five days after she reported it. The duck had to be place down at the Huntington Beach… Read more on Orange County Register
Northern waterfowl could be sitting ducks in gulf disaster
In two months, blue-winged teal will start leaving Minnesota for the coastal marshes of Louisiana and other points south. Within weeks afterward, wood ducks will join the autumn migration, followed by many of the other duck species that nest in the North but spend their chill months along the Gulf Coast. What exactly awaits these birds is unknown. But for the 13 million ducks and another 1.5 … Read more on The Wenatchee World
Participate in the conversation by leaving your comment below.
I had one but lost it in the divorce. I loved it. It had pictures of all kinds of animals and the word for the plural of that animal. Like gagel of geese or herd of horses . Any thoughts where I can find one?
Swans are the larges and commonly considered the most gorgeous of the waterfowl. A male is known as a cob, a female is a pen, and the childish are called cygnets. Swans are large water birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are creatures of habit, often mating for life and breeding in the same place year after year. The swans species are known to divide into the northern hemisphere swans which are Mute swan, Trumpeter swan, Whooper swan, Whistling or Tundra swan, Bewick swan while the southern hemisphere which are Black swan, Black-necked swan and Coscoroba swan.
The Mute Swan is common swan of parks and estates. It is native crosswise Europe and Asia and has been introduced in many other areas, including parts of North America. In England, all Mute Swans were considered the property of the Crown until the 18th century. Mute swans, with their dazzling white plumage, orange bills and gracefully curved necks are among the most gorgeous and instantly recognizable of all the wild birds.
On the other hand, the Trumpeter Swan is North America’s largest waterfowl and one of its rarest native birds. In many areas these swans face new problems such as lead poisoning, habitat loss, and the loss of their traditional migration patterns to southern wintering areas. Restoration efforts during the past fifty years have met with both successes and failures. Today, in a new century and with a new restoration technique, transportation of birds to other areas has resulted in a spectacular comeback.
The Whooper Swan is the Ancient World cousin of the Trumpeter Swan, breeding crosswise the entire northern Palerctic. It is distinguished from Bewick’s Swan by its larger size and the yellow bill with a black tip. It is the noisiest of all the swans, constantly calling “hoo, hoo, hoo” while in flight. Unlike the Mute Swan, it tends to carry its neck stiffly erect.
The Tundra Swan consists of two distinct subspecies, namely, the Whistling Swan of North America and the Bewick Swan of Eurasia. The Whistling Swan differs in appearance from the Bewick Swan in the amount of yellow it has on its bill. The Whistling Swan has a yellow teardrop in front of its eye whereas the Bewick Swan has very nearly half of its bill covered on yellow.
Another type is the Black Swan which is native to most of Australia, including Tasmania. The populations are flourishing in New Zealand and there are some free-income birds in Sweden. The Black Swan is the most social of the swans and during the breeding season will often nest in loose colonies. Most other swans will not tolerate other pairs anywhere near their nests.
As for Black-necked Swan, these gorgeous birds are native to southern South America. The sexes are similar in plumage. They flight most of the year but are quite territorial when breeding. The males will chase other waterfowl, and very nearly anything else, from the vicinity to the nest. Incubation will last 36 days until the clutch of 4-5 hatches. The cygnets spend much of their time on the parents’ back when not feeding.
The Coscoroba Swan was given its name because of the call that it makes, and on a warm summer night here in the Northeast part of the US intent-bred Coscoroba Swans will seemingly spend the entire night calling. One bird will start a procession and the others will follow. The cob makes a high-leaning “coscoroba” call whereas the pens are much deeper in tone.
Swans are devoted parents, keeping a alert eye on their brood, allowing them to ‘hitch a lift’ on their backs and diligently teaching them how to feed on the underwater plants which will form the main part of their diet. The family group remains together until the chill or following spring when the juveniles are evicted from the breeding territory. Childish birds may then join flocks of non-breeding swans, and often remain in these colonies for two or three years until they are ancient enough to breed. They will eventually form a pair bond and start the search for a vacant nesting territory.
If you want to learn more about swan species and raising swans, please stay: www.howtoraiseswans.com
Did you know that Hawaii is considered the endangered species capital of the U.S.? Did you also know that you can see many of these struggling breeds by taking Hawaii volcano tours?
Yep, it’s right. Taking Hawaii volcano tours affords you the opportunity to see and learn about species which may not be around for your children or grandchildren to delight in.
Here is a brief overview of the types of species you can expect to see during the course of a Hawaii volcano tour:
Hawaii Volcano Tours to see Common Plants
Of the 1,100 species of flowering plants native to Hawaii, 92 are extinct and another 270 are on the brink of extinction. Much of this loss is due to non-native species predation and human interference. Expect to see species such as the gorgeous Ohi’a lehua, whose flowers provide nectar for several species of common birds and insects, and the Ahinahina, or Silversword, which is an alpine plant which lives for about 50 years, blooms only once and then dies. The Silversword exists only on Haleakala, Maui and Mauna Kea, Hawai’i, and can be viewed by taking Hawaii volcano tours leading to either place. Hawaii Volcano Tours to see Common Bird Species
The gorgeous birds of Hawaii are a treat no one on Hawaii volcano tours should miss. In fact, if you’ve got the time, there are even citizen science projects where you can go out and help the park rangers count the birds and monitor their populace growth, or lack thereof.
Species you’ll be looking for include: the Palila, which is found only from 6,500 to 9,600 feet of elevation in mamane-naio forests on the slopes of Mauna Kea; the Nene or Hawaiian Goose, which was once widespread in upland country but now only exists in Maui and the Huge Island; and the Ua’u, or Hawaiian Dark-Rumped Petrel – a fascinating bird which burrows in rock on top of Haleakala’s 10,023 foot peak, but feeds on squid gathered as far away as Alaska and Japan!
Hawaii Volcano Tours in Proximity to Rare Insect Species
Of the 10,000 native species of Hawaiian insects, up to 50% are geologically endangered. Insects are some of the primary pollinators for Hawaii’s native flora, provide food for native birds and are the primary processors and creators of soil, making their successful survival an vital concern.
Species you may encounter on Hawaii volcano tours include: The Hawaiian yellow-faced bee, an vital pollinator which does not live in large colonies, but instead builds individual nests to feed nectar and pollen to its childish; the Drosophila heteroneura glide, which is one of 800 species of common Hawaiian Drosophila and has unique adaptations found nowhere else; and the Haleakala Flightless Moth, which ditched its ability to glide over the millennia in favor of superior clinging strength in order to successfully live on the windswept slopes of the volcano.
It would take a lifetime to explore all of the common Hawaiian species, but by experiencing them through Hawaii volcano tours, you’ll at least get a excellent feel for the extraordinary diversity on spectacle.
Do they have a negative impact on another species or the environment? Should they be eradicated or should precautions be taken to limit their success in the non-native environment in Montana in particular? Does anyone have any maps of their migration routes in the U.S.A. or a excellent site to gain more information.
