Domestic Goose

• GeneralDomesticated in Egypt over 3,000 years ago; the Romans kept it on the walls as an alarm.
• All the European domestic goose breeds belong to this form, derived from the greylag goose, which is regarded as the first bird domesticated by humans.
• In Spanish wetlands, hybrids between wild and domestic greylags are frequently seen, recognisable by ochre patches on the wings and neck.
• The EFSA includes it in its opinion on animal welfare, which expressly covers foie gras production.
• The geese of the Capitol saved Rome according to Livy: their clamour gave warning of a night attack by the Gauls in 390 BC, and from then on they were honoured in the city.
• Konrad Lorenz discovered imprinting while working with goslings: the young follow the first moving object they see on hatching, and the work earned him the Nobel Prize in 1973.
• They are still used as an alarm system today: several Scottish distilleries and warehouses around the world keep geese for their reliability in warning of intruders.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Farms, ponds, damp meadows and yards worldwide

Sexual maturity

2 years

Gestation / incubation

29 days of incubation

Litter / clutch size

6 eggs

Sources consulted: EFSA 2023, Welfare of ducks, geese and quail on farm (Scientific Opinion) · Waste Magazine · Rodríguez Alonso y Palacios Alberti 2018, Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles (MNCN-CSIC) · Linnaeus 1758