Magpie Goose
Hastie’s Swamp, September 2021.
You usually find these birds in flocks of hundreds or thousands. Farmers love them….not.
Centenary Lakes, October 2019.
They love freshwater swamps, floodplains, rivers, lagoons and billabongs.
Centenary Lakes, October 2019.
Both sexes look similar with a black and white body and pink facial skin.
Hastie’s Swamp, September 2021.
The knob on the head gets larger with age. In comparison to a male of the same age a female has a smaller knob on the head.
Hasties Swamp, September 2021.
They fly with a strong laboured motion. I find them quite graceful as they fly low over the water.
Hasties Swamp, September 2021.
Their voice is a loud repetitive honking. They often call to each other in flight making them very easy to identify in the sky even from far away.
The tips of the wings are deeply fingered. This feature is often clearly displayed as the birds land.
Hasties Swamp, August 2021.
The feet and legs are a distinct orange colour. They are partially webbed and have large clawed toes which they used to dig for food. My Tableland farmer friends hate these birds as they claim they foul the ground.
Centenary Lakes, November 2019.
Their natural food is aquatic vegetations and wild grasses. That said you know why farmers do not like them, they eat their crops.
Hasties Swamp, August 2021.
Immature birds are a mottled brown-grey to white. The facial skin is lighter in colour and the bump on the head much smaller.
Hastie’s Swamp, September 2021.
These birds are highly communal and as such almost never stop calling to each other..