A flock of Greylag Geese

Goose (plural: geese) is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than geese, and ducks, which are smaller. This article deals with the true geese in the subfamily Anserinae, tribe Anserini. A number of other waterbirds, mainly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their name. These are dealt with later on.

Egyptian Goose

Egyptian geese are a little larger than a duck in size, reaching 2-2 1/2 feet high with a 4 1/2 – 5 foot wingspan. They have a distinguishing chestnut brown mask around their yellow eyes however, this coloration is absent in juveniles. The backs of Egyptian geese are reddish orange to brown in color with the underside of their wings white and iridescent green. The beak, legs and feet are pale pink in color. Both sexes are very similar in appearance, with the males being only slightly larger.

Red Breasted Goose

For many years while the Russian possessions were more or less closed to foreigners, very little was known about this very beautiful goose. Occasionally one or two pairs would be brought out but generally they were unknown to the avicultural world. The few that were in the hands of zoos and private breeders were not producing in captivity. The word got out that they would not produce in captivity for some unknown reason. Probably this bad reputation was the result of the sexes being identical (except the female is slightly smaller than the male). Some began to produce in captivity when vent sexing came about and true pairs were put together in happy environments.