Graylag Goose Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A large, bulky goose with a thick neck, large head and bill, and stout legs.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Mallard, smaller than a Mute Swan.

  goose-sized or larger

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 29.9-35.0 in (76-89 cm)
    • Weight: 73.0-160.8 oz (2070-4560 g)
    • Wingspan: 57.9-70.9 in (147-180 cm)

  © Lukasz Pulawski / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Graylag Geese are plain, brownish-gray overall with a mostly white tail and back end. The upperparts are dark brown, the head, neck, and breast are a lighter brownish-gray, and the lower underparts are white. The bill is orange in western European birds and pink in eastern populations, and the legs are pink. In flight, the upperwings have large, striking pale gray patches and the underwings give a distinctive two-toned appearance, with pale gray linings contrasting with darker flight feathers.

• Behavior

  Graylag Geese are loud, conspicuous birds often seen in flocks. They graze in grasslands and agricultural fields for favored grasses and crops. They also forage in wetlands, sometimes “tipping up” while sitting on a waterbody to reach submerged vegetation in deeper water.
• Habitat

  Graylag Geese nest in large wetlands, especially with extensive reedbeds, and on small islands in larger lakes. During breeding season, they graze on plants in nearby grasslands, meadows, and wetlands. In winter this species forages on aquatic vegetation in large wetlands or on grasses and crops in nearby grasslands and agricultural fields.