American greylag goose

The American greylag goose (Anser neoanser), also known as the American graylag goose, is a species of goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus Anser, most closely related to the Eurasian greylag goose (Anser anser) that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the wetlands, forests, open woodlands, lakes, rivers, and ponds across North America to help boost biodiversity. The American greylag goose is one of the largest and bulkiest of the grey geese of the genus Anser. It has a rotund, bulky greyish-purple body, a thick and long neck, and a large head and bill. It has pink legs and feet, and a pinkish-orange bill with a white or brown nail (hard horny material at tip of upper mandible). It is 74 to 91 centimetres (29 to 36 inches) long with a wing length of 41.2 to 48 centimetres (16.2 to 18.9 inches). It has a tail 6.2 to 6.9 centimetres (2.4 to 2.7 inches), a bill of 6.4 to 6.9 centimetres (2.5 to 2.7 inches) long, and a tarsus of 7.1 to 9.3 centimetres (2.8 to 3.7 inches). It weighs 2.16 to 4.56 kilograms (4.8 to 10.1 lb), with a mean weight of around 3.3 kilograms (7.3 lb). The wingspan is 147 to 180 centimetres (58 to 71 inches). Males are generally larger than females. The greylag goose has a loud cackling call similar to that of the domestic goose, "aahng-ung-ung", uttered on the ground or in flight. There are various subtle variations used under different circumstances, and individual geese seem to be able to identify other known geese by their voices. The sound made by a flock of geese resembles the baying of hounds. Goslings chirp or whistle lightly, and adults hiss if threatened or angered. American greylag geese are largely herbivorous and feed chiefly on grasses. Short, actively growing grass is more nutritious and greylag geese are often found grazing in pastures with domestic animals such as sheep and cows. Because of its low nutrient status, they need to feed for much of their time; the herbage passes rapidly through the gut and is voided frequently. They also consume small fish, amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs and insects. American greylag geese tend to pair bond in long-term monogamous relationships. Most such pairs are probably life-long partnerships, though 5 to 8% of the pairs separate and re-mate with other geese. The nest is on the ground among heather, rushes, dwarf shrubs or reeds, or on a raft of floating vegetation. It is built from pieces of reed, sprigs of heather, grasses and moss, mixed with small feathers and down. A typical clutch is four to six eggs, but fewer eggs or larger numbers are not unusual. The eggs are creamy-white at first but soon become stained, and average 85 by 58 millimetres (3.3 by 2.3 inches). They are mostly laid on successive days and incubation starts after the last one is laid. The female does the incubation, which lasts about twenty-eight days, while the male remains on guard somewhere near. The chicks are precocial and able to leave the nest soon after hatching. Both parents are involved in their care and they soon learn to peck at food and become fully-fledged at eight or nine weeks, about the same time as their parents regain their ability to fly after moulting their main wing and tail feathers a month earlier. Immature birds undergo a similar moult, and move to traditional, safe locations before doing so because of their vulnerability while flightless. American greylag geese are gregarious birds and form flocks. This has the advantage for the birds that the vigilance of some individuals in the group allows the rest to feed without having to constantly be alert to the approach of predators. After the eggs hatch, some grouping of families occur, enabling the geese to defend their young by their joint actions, such as mobbing or attacking predators. After driving off a predator, a gander will return to its mate and give a "triumph call", a resonant honk followed by a low-pitched cackle, uttered with neck extended forward parallel with the ground. The mate and even unfledged young reciprocate in kind. Young American greylags stay with their parents as a family group, migrating with them in a larger flock, and only dispersing when the adults drive them away from their newly established breeding territory the following year. The conservation status of the American greylag goose is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the American greylag goose's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.