the well-known gray-geese lives on Iceland, in north, - means - and southeast-Europe as well as in Asia of the Mediterranean-area as far as to central and Eastern Asia.
Shape The eastern populations have a pink beak and somewhat lighter plumage as north and Central Europe's gray-geese, who possess an orange one until yellow beak.
With 76-89 cm of total-length and on average approximately 3,5 kg of weight, they are the biggest native geese. From Iceland's approximately equally big seed-geese (Anser fabalis), Spitzbergens, Scandinavia and Siberia, who spend the winter in Central Europe for the most part, gray-geese differ in its much lighter, gray plumage. Particularly head, neck and front-wings of the seed-geese are colored much dark and brownish.
Bird-train Gray-geese are migratory birds. The northern gray-geese, above all the Icelandic populations, spend the winter on the British islands and around the North sea, while the Central European geese move to Spain away over France in September and Octobers, where they spend the winter approximately in the estuary-area of the Guadalquivir. The Central European brood-areas are occupied again from beginning March.
Habitat Gray-geese are during the train and in the winter-quarters rather adaptable at quite different habitats. During the incubation, however, they look for quiet moorland-ships, swamps and lonesome meadows, over which are grown with reed and Binsen and offer good coverage through it. Inner-seas, rivers or quiet coast-landscapes must lie in attainable proximity.
Reproduction Already with approximately 11/2 years, gray-geese die a solid pair-relationship, although it only in the 3. Year of life sexually mature becomes. After its arrival in the brood-area (March-May), the pair looks for an as quiet as possible one together, situated Nistplatz hide amidst of reed or dense undergrowth. According to dampness of the base and the quantity of the Nistmaterials existing in immediate proximity, the female builds a big nest of 0,6-2 m of diameter mainly from loosely linked plant-sharing, with what the gander (= gander) can help through passing the construction-materials.
Only the female erbrütet the 4-9 (usually 5-6) eggs for 28-29 days, it begins on that occasion with the next to the last or last egg. The male remains near the nest and keeps watch, with what it avoids the nest, however, itself and meets its female only during the food-search and at "trips." After the slipping the goslings, both alto-birds take over their care.
Young gray-geese pick up food independently (how all goose-birds) from the beginning, however, the mother helps occasionally one little with, in that it bends the stalks. After 1-2 days, the parents lead its goslings to the water. After approximately 8 weeks, the boys undertake its first flight-attempts, right they can fly only in the age of approximately 10 weeks. Until the next brood-period, it remains together in the family-association of squabs and parents.
Food The food of the gray-geese consists Z of miscellaneous grass, herbs, seeds and berries as well as from water-plants, young instincts, roots, onions and tubers. B. stayed potatoes.
Behavior There young geese over no narrow innate "parents-scheme" have that it was possible for the Nobel laureate Konrad Lorenz to rear young gray-geese as "substitute-father" from the egg on, and, to study its behavioral-repertoire in detail. The social-behavior is quite far developed with gray-geese since they live in the family-association, until beginning of the new incubation the one year old birds of its parents is driven away. Several families meet to larger associations, that consist (other types of the type Anser often form assorted troops) only of gray-geese, however.
Gray-geese are the game-form of the house-goose bred in many races.
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