The Greylag Goose is the largest and most robust of the Anser genus geese species, having a round body, thick long neck, and a massive orange bill with a slightly whitish edge at the tip. The plumage is gray with light shades on the belly and irregularly spotted on the breast, and the legs are pink-purple. In flight, they form impressive V-shaped formations and emit a varied range of sharp sounds, adaptations that help them communicate and conserve energy over long distances along migratory routes.
Habits
Lives in social flocks, with some populations being sedentary and others migratory, moving northward to breeding grounds in spring and to more temperate regions in autumn; nests on the ground in wetlands or agricultural areas, and feeds predominantly on grass and agricultural crops on the ground, usually at dawn and dusk
Reproduction
They mate in spring and nest on the ground, building a nest from grass and down in a wetland area; the female typically lays 3-5 eggs and incubates them for approximately 28-30 days, and both parents defend the nest and chicks for several weeks after hatching.
Distribution
It has a Holarctic distribution: breeding in northern and central Europe (including Romania, Germany, Iceland) and northern Asia (Russia, China), while in winter many populations migrate south to temperate regions and coastal areas in the Balkans, Asia Minor, and northern Africa.
