The Upland Goose (Chloephaga picta) is a large bird in the Anatidae sub-family of sheldgoose birds, that includes ducks, geese, and swans. It is also called the Magellan Goose.
The male has a white head and white chest, with a grey back and black wing feathers. The male has a great beak and grey legs. The female is brown with black striped wings and yellow feet. The male and female have webbed feet.
It grows to 60-72 centimetres (23-28 inches) long.
It is native to the southern part of South America. It prefers temperate grasslands, dry lowland scrublands, pastures, and agricultural lands.
The Upland Goose is herbivorous, eating seeds, leaves, stems, and vegetation.
It lives in flocks of thousands of individuals.
The male and female form a monogamous pair for life. They make a nest on the ground, near water. It is hidden in long grass. The female lays 5-8 eggs, which hatch after about 28 days. The chicks are born with greyish-brown soft feathers, called down. They leave the nest after one day, and walk to a nearby water source. They gain all of their flight feathers after 63-70 days.
[Location of photographs: Parc Zoologique de Paris in Bois de Vincennes, France]
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM