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2

Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) Size: 63-73 cm; wing span 1.44 m (average)

Oman: Family Group 2 Family Group 2 Table Mute Swan Egyptian Goose Mallard Cotton Pygmy-Goose Great Crested Grebe Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Egyptian Geese are large, heavyset aquatic birds. Their plumage shows some variations. The head is mostly grey, except for some brown around the base of the bill and prominent brown patches around the eyes. The upper neck is mainly grey, with spiky feathers, below which a brown neck band goes all round the neck. The neck band is widest at the back. The lower neck is pinkish-grey, the chest, belly and vent are grey. The wing coverts are brownish-grey, with brown ends of the feathers. Both the flight feathers and the uppertail are dark-grey. Some specimens have large white shoulder patches. The irises are orange-yellow. The bill is pink with a dark-grey tip. The legs and feet are greyish-pink.

Taxonomy, classification See Egyptian Goose at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Egyptian Goose is available HERE . Egyptian Geese populate basically all of Africa South of the Sahara desert (except parts of the West-African coast) and the River Nile valley. Outside the breeding season they disperse widely. There are also introduced wild populations, e.g. in parts of Europe. Egyptian Geese are listed as vagrants in some parts of Arabia, where they have been found mainly along the North coast, in the UAE and on the Musandam peninsula, in the border region with Oman. In their natural range, Egyptian Geese are flexible in their requirements and will breed basically anywhere except deserts and closed forest. Introduced populations, but also vagrant birds, are often found in parks, in particular around lakes and marshes.

Sightings Click here for sighting information We have not seen an Egyptian Goose in Oman yet. The photos below were taken in Europe and Africa.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral portrait of an Egyptian Goose (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[January 2021]

Near-lateral view of an Egyptian Goose (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[September 2018]

Close-up lateral view of an Egyptian Goose

Lateral view of a pair of Egyptian Geese feeding on grassland (photo courtesy of S. Kirkby)

Lateral and dorsal views of Egyptian Geese in an ephemeral wetland (photo courtesy of S. Kirkby)

Small flock of Egyptian Geese feeding on grassland (photo courtesy of S. Kirkby)

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Family of Egyptian Geese with a clutch of six goslings (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[June 2013]

Family of Egyptian Geese with a clutch of six goslings (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[June 2013]

Egyptian Goose with five goslings (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[June 2013]

Egyptian Geese with a gosling (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[September 2018]

Egyptian Goose with a gosling (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[September 2018]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

eggoose_jp_20220217_3.mp3	(Portugal)	Contact calls? (+ sheep & their bells)	© JP
eggoose_jp_20220217.mp3	(Portugal)	Warning calls? (+ sheep & their bells)	© JP
eggoose_jp_20220217_2.mp3	(Portugal)	Warning & contact calls? (+ sheep & their bells)	© JP

More Egyptian Goose sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Tue, 6 June 2023, 3:07 +00:00