Later they were destroyed as agricultural pests. The Cape Barren geese flock to coastal properties and foul water troughs. It’s a handsome bird, a strong flier and comes in grey, with soft darker spottings, long pink legs and black feet.

Now they are protected. The Cape Barren Goose is a large bird (up to a metre tall when standing) which eats grass and other vegetation. Australian bustards are a large ground bird. The Greylag goose was one of the first animals to be domesticated; this happened at least 3000 years ago in Ancient Egypt; the domestic breed is known as A. a. domesticus. The call of the Cape Barren goose is a low grunt that sounds just like a pig! The Cape Barren Goose resting on the ground emphasising the overall grey colour with darker spots and the greenish-yellow cere over the top of the bill. The female is quite a bit smaller at 80cm tall, with a 1.8m wingspan and an average body mass of 3.2kg. The Cape Barren is not strictly speaking a goose – its closest relative is our own Paradise Shelduck – but it is usually classed as such for convenience. ‘The next enhancement to our security system will be a pair of Cape Barren's (Cereopsis) geese from Australia.’ ‘Such birds as Cereopsis Geese, Coscoroba Swans, and I am sure there are others too, can be reliably sexed by voice if you are sexing them at the stage in their lives when they make adequate noise for you to compare their voices.’ Geese have … There are 7 subspecies of this bird, of varying sizes and plumage details, but all are recognizable as Canada Geese. As the domestic goose is a subspecies of the Greylag goose they are able to interbreed, and the goslings share characteristics of both the wild and tame birds. The Canadian Goose: The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" distinguish this goose from all except the Barnacle Goose, but the latter has a black breast and grey, rather than brownish, body plumage. Its bill is covered with a fleshy, yellow-green cere. The average weight for males is 6.2kg. The Cape Barren Goose. These pale ash-grey, solid-bodied birds grow to about 90cm.Their most striking feature is a bright yellow/green bill. Their ability to drink salt or brackish water allows numbers of geese to remain on offshore islands all year round. ( ABC Eyre Peninsula: Jodie Hamilton ) "Geese cause me more financial pain than rabbits or foxes," Mr Lawrie said. Cape Barren geese live mostly on small, windswept and generally uninhabited offshore islands, but venture to adjacent mainland farming areas in search of food in summer. During the 1800's they were hunted for food and eggs. The male is up to 1.2m tall with a 2.3m wingspan. Geese fly in V-formations, which add a greater flying range, than if each goose flew alone. Recent birds are self-introduced and numbers are slowly recovering - estimated now at 6000 in the wild. The male also produces a "honk" sound. When the goose in front gets tired, another goose will take over the front position, and geese will honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. The unusual Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae Latham 1801) is a bird belonging to the order of the Anseriforms (Anseriformes), to the family of the Anatids (), subfamily of the Anserines (Anserinae), tribe of the Anserins (Anserini), and genus Cereopsis to which belongs as unique species with two subspecies: Cereopsis novaehollandiae novaehollandiae, Cereopsis novaehollandiae grisea. The ABC are reporting today on agricultural and social challenges with overabundant wild Cape Barren Geese on Phillip Island in Southern Victoria.. Like many wildlife species, Cape Barren Geese have adapted to the altered environment including improved pasture and, when left unmanaged, can become overabundant and undesirable. The handsome Cape Barren Goose is unique to Australia. The Cape Barren goose was introduced to New Zealand during the 1900s, but the colonies died out in the 1940s.