Skip to main content

Orinoco Goose

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... six Geese a'laying...


Neochen jubata
Do not fear bird people! After yesterday's Dragonfly we return to the world of feathered friends. Allow me to introduce you to the Orinoco Goose, a small species of Goose found in the northern, rainforested areas of South America. The are the only true forest Goose.

I find Orinoco Geese to be rather lovely in appearance. The contrast between the cream neck, the pink legs, and the chestnut and black wings creates a pleasing color composition (using my Art History degree!). Unlike many of our other Christmas birds so far, both male and female Orinoco Geese display the same plumage, though the males are slightly larger.

Once upon a time the Orinoco Goose was one of the most populous waterfowl species along the Orinoco River. Unfortunately, hunting and deforestation has caused their numbers to decline and they are now rare in many parts of their original range. Projects are underway to foster and protect the species, including the building of nest-boxes. Orinoco Geese nest in large trees near bodies of water, but they've been losing those nesting sites as trees get cut down. Nest-boxes placed on poles allow for the Geese to reproduce again in areas that were deforested.
IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : South America
Size : Length up to 30in (75cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Anseriformes
Family : Anatidae -- Genus : Neochen -- Species : N. jubata

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Banggai Cardinalfish

Pterapogon kauderni The Banggai Cardinalfish is a small tropical fish that is becoming very rare in the wild, even though it has been successfully bred in captivity. You will only find these small, 3in long fish around the Banggai Islands of Indonesia. They are the only members of their genus, and you can tell them apart from other Cardinalfish by their three-striped bodies, tasseled first dorsal fin, long second dorsal, and their deep-forked tail fins. Banggai Cardinalfish are diurnal and live in small groups of about a dozen members. They are opportunistic feeders who dine on whatever smaller plants and animals they can find. Courtship and mating is pretty interesting for these guys-- females are the ones who initiate. They isolate a male and the pair will perform various courtship rituals before spawning. The Cardinalfish are mouthbrooders, which means that the males take the fertilized eggs (up to 90 of them) into their mouths and incubate them for up to 30 days. During t...
37 comments
Read more