The Cape Barren Goose ~ Rare and Unique to Australia
The Cape Barren goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a large, flightless goose native to Australia. It is one of the rarest of the world’s geese, found only in southern Australia, with a large population on Phillip Island. The name comes from Cape Barren Island, where European explorers first sighted the geese. Their distinctive call is loud, deep, pig-like grunts or honks. The male makes a noisy, harsh ‘ark, ark-ark, ark-ark’ while their young make reedy whistles.
Appearance
Their unique grey plumage bears rounded black spots. The tail and flight feathers are blackish, with pink to deep red legs and black feet. In addition, the stubby triangular beak and green cere (skin above the beak) give it a very peculiar expression. Males of this species are slightly larger than females. While the Cape Barren goose has webbed feet, they are significantly less webbed than ducks, allowing them to spend long periods on land.
The Cape Barren Goose can be found across southern Australia. Their preferred habitat is water, such as lakes, dams, lagoons, swamps and rivers. Being herbivores, they graze predominantly on common tussock grass, spear grass, herbs, succulents, pasture grasses, barley, clover, and legumes. Like many seabirds, Cape Barren Geese can drink salty or brackish water; this allows them to remain on offshore islands all year round.
Breeding
The Cape Barren Goose breeds on the offshore islands of Australia and can be aggressive during the July to September breeding season. They lay their eggs in a nest in the tussocks of open grasslands. The male builds the nest from grass and twigs and lines it with feather down. Each breeding pair establishes its territory in autumn, prepares the nest and defends it noisily against other geese. They are monogamous and bond for life. The female lays four to six eggs and incubates them for 35-40 days. Once hatched, both parents share the brooding duties.
Conservation Status
During the 1800s, the Cape Barren Geese were hunted for food and eggs. By the 1950s, the Cape Barren Goose numbers were so low that biologists feared they might be near extinction. As a result, initiatives were taken that since then have increased the goose population to a level where they are no longer considered endangered. However, they remain one of the world’s rarest geese and have been protected since the 1970s.
The Phillip Island population of 3000 cape barren geese started from six birds, introduced in 1984. Tasmania serves them in restaurants, while permits to shoot and eat them were made available in South Australia in 2000.