Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- Abyssinian blue-winged goose, blue-winged goose
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus Species
- Cyanochen (dark blue goose) cyanopterus (dark blue feathers)
Fast Facts
- Description
- This is a tall bird with brown body. Blue-winged geese are lighter brown around the head and breast regions and darker brown on wings and back. The upper wing converts are powder blue.
- Size
- Approximately 60 to 75 cm (24 to 30 in.) tall; wingspan 32.5 to 37.5 cm (13 to 15 in.)
- Weight
- Approximately 1.52 kg (3.3 lbs.)
- Diet
- Feeds on grasses and other green parts of various plants; insects and small reptiles
- Incubation
- 30 to 35 days
- Clutch Size
- 4 to 7 eggs
- Sexual Maturity
- Approximately 2 years
- Life Span
- No data
- Range
- Ethiopia
- Habitat
- Found in marshes, streams and damp grasslands
- Population
- Global: Estimated at 5,000 to 15,000 individuals
- Status
- IUCN: Not listed
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Lower risk/near threatened
Fun Facts
During courtship, the male struts around the female, his head bent over his back, and his bill pointed skywards or behind him. Such posture exposes his blue wing patch. He communicates with the female with a barely audible whistle "wnee-whu-whu-whu-whu-whu-whu-whu."
Local religious beliefs have protected this bird from hunting.
The Abyssinian portion of their name comes from Abyssinia, the historical name for Ethiopia.
It is believed that the Abyssinian blue-winged goose's closest relative is the Andean goose.
Ecology and Conservation
These birds are nocturnal, which perhaps explains why so little is known about the species. While little is known as with any species with a limited range its populations are vulnerable to human intrusion and habitat loss.
Large waterfowl like the Abyssinian blue-winged goose are essential to the balance of the ecosystem, by keep bodies of water clear by eating aquatic plants as well as being a prey item for larger carnivores.
Bibliography
Scott, P. A Colored Key of the Wildfowl of the World. Slimbridge, England. The Wildfowl Trust. 1988.
Todd, F.S. Natural History of Waterfowl. San Diego, Ca. Ibis Publishing Co., 1996.
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=389&m=
