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Species
Anser indicus (Latham, 1790)
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
东北,陕西,西藏,云南,湖南,新疆,青海,四川
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | The Biodiversity Committee of Chinese Academy of Sciences,2011, EOL China Regional Center |
Source | No source database. |
Bar-headed geese were one of the first species to show signs of the H5N1 (Bird Flu) virus. In addition to carrying the virus the geese are also pests to the local villagers. Since they feed on the wheat, rice, and other crops around their roosting areas, they can cause damage to farm fields.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (carries human disease); crop pest
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anser_indicus/ |
Bar-headed geese have grey bodies, with orange legs and a black and white neck. This species is named for the obvious black U-shaped bars on the back of the white head. They weigh between 2 and 3 kg (4.5 and 6.5 lbs) with a wingspan between 140 and 160 cm (55 and 62 inch), and are between 68 and 78 cm (27 and 30 inch) in length. Bar-headed geese have a basal metabolic rate of 756 cubic centimeters of oxygen per hour.
Range mass: 2.0 to 3.0 kg.
Range length: 68 to 78 cm.
Range wingspan: 140 to 160 cm.
Average basal metabolic rate: 756 cm3.O2/g/hr.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
- Tammelin, H. 2012. "Bar-headed Goose" (On-line). NatureGate. Accessed August 09, 2012 at http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/tekijat/.
- Ward, S., C. Bishop, A. Woakes, P. Butler. 2002. Heart rate and the rate of oxygen consumption of flying and walking barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and bar-headed geese (Anser indicus). The Journal of Experimental Biology, 205: 3347–3356.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anser_indicus/ |
These geese benefit humans because of ecotourism to the wildlife areas that they use as refueling stops during their migrations. "The East Calcutta Wetlands in Western Bengal (a stop over site for migrating Bar-headed Geese) has environmental benefits worth 38.54 million dollars"(Bhattacharyya et al., 2008).
Positive Impacts: ecotourism
- Bhattacharyya, A., S. Sen, P. Roy, A. Mazumdar. 2008. A Critical Study on Status of East Kolkata Wetlands with Special Emphasis on Water Birds as Bio-Indicator. Proceedings of Taal2007: The 12th World Lake Conference, 12: 1561-1570.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anser_indicus/ |
Bar-headed geese can be found at high elevations. They use habitats like mountain grasslands and crop fields from surrounding villages. Bar-headed geese tend to use freshwater marshes, lakes, and streams that are around elevations of 4,000 to 6,000 meters above sea level as stop-over and over-wintering sites. Some geese have even been reported to migrate at altitudes of 9,000 meters when they cross the Himalaya Mountains.
Range elevation: Sea Level to 6,000 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial ; freshwater
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams; brackish water
Wetlands: marsh
Other Habitat Features: agricultural
- Middleton, B. 1992. Habitat and Food Preferences of Greylag and Barheaded Geese Wintering in the Keoladeo National Park, India. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 8 No.2: 181-193. Accessed August 05, 2012 at http://www.jstor.org/stable/2559700.
- Scott, G., S. Egginton, J. Richards, W. Milsom. 2009. Evolution of muscle phenotype for extreme high altitude flight in the bar-headed goose. Proc Biol Sci, 276(1673): 3645-3653.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anser_indicus/ |
Systems
- Terrestrial
- Freshwater
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |
Source | http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/22679893 |
Bar-headed geese generally feed on the highland grasses surrounding their lakes and streams where they nest. During other times of the year they can be found eating on agricultural crops such as corn, wheat, barley, and rice.
Animal Foods: fish; insects
Plant Foods: leaves; roots and tubers; seeds, grains, and nuts
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Granivore )
- Akbar, M., R. Khan, S. Mehboob, Z. Nisa. 2005. Wildlife of Border Belt Game Reserve District Narowal, Punjab, Pakistan. Pak. j. life soc. sci., 3(1-2): 13-17.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anser_indicus/ |
These geese are prey for animals such as red foxes, and golden eagles. Some can also be parasites by using higher ranked females as hosts to raise their offspring. In addition they are also carriers of the H5N1 virus and capable of passing the virus to humans, and other animals as well. They assist in the dispersal of grass seeds they eat throughout the year.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
- Cui, P., Y. Hou, a. et.. 2011. Bird Migration and Risk for H5N1 Transsmission into Qinghai Lake, China. Vector Bome Zoonotic Dis., 11(5): 567-576. Accessed August 09, 2012 at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096498/?tool=pmcentrez.
- Weigmann, C., J. Lamprecht. 1991. Intraspecific nest parasitism in bar-headed geese, Anser indicus. Animal Behaviour, 41: 677-688.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anser_indicus/ |
From the air the bar-headed geese are prey for sea eagles, golden eagles, crows, and ravens. On the ground the geese are preyed upon by red foxes. Some of the adaptations the geese have developed is the ability to survive at high altitudes. This limits the amount of ground predators that can reach them. They can survive at high altitudes because they have a higher density of capillaries that are spaced closer together this allows them to deliver more oxygen to their muscles, in particular their flight muscles. In addition to their capillaries they also have hemoglobin in their blood that is more efficient at taking in oxygen. Another adaptation is that these geese tend to live in large colonies or smaller family groups which enhances predator detection.
Known Predators:
- red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)
- crows (Corvus americanus)
- ravens (Corvus corax)
- sea eagles (Haliaeetus species)
- golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anser_indicus/ |
Like most geese, bar-headed geese fly in "V"-shaped formations. When the lead bird gets tired they fall to the back of the formation and another goose takes the lead. The formation can vary from a traditional V to other shapes like "J"-shape and the echeleon shape where one arm of the "V"-shape is missing. The benefit of this style of flight is that each individual flies with reduced drag, which in turn saves them energy. They use vocal communications and visual cues to maintain their spacing while flying in these formations. This also assists them in staying in closely related family groups as they move from traditional feeding and breeding areas. Like other waterfowl they can also see in the ultraviolet spectrum of light.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; ultraviolet; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical ; magnetic
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anser_indicus/ |