What to Know About the Spur-winged Goose in Uganda?

The Spur-Winged Goose in Uganda is one of the African Uganda Bird Species seen during Birding Safaris. It is the largest of the perching ducks in the family-Anatidae, Kingdom-Animalia, Phylum-Chordata, Class-Aves, order-Anseriformes, and genus-plectropterus.

It has a body mass of 5.4 to 6.8kg in male and 4 to 5.4kg in females. It is linked to the geese and Shel ducks but unique from these two in numerous body features and was therefore given its unique sub family, Plectropterinae.

The spur-winged goose frequently occurs in wetlands of Murchison falls national park in Uganda.

This bird is poisonous because of the blister beetles it feeds on. The poison, cantharidin, is within the flesh of the bird and can poison people that eat the cooked goose.  It is believed that 10 mg of cantharidin can kill a human.

How Does the Spur-winged Goose in Uganda Look Like?

he spur-winged goose has a distinctive knob on the face. The beak is wide and pinkish-red with a white nail. adults have purplish spots of bare covering on the sides of the neck.

Its legs and webbed feet are pink, while the iris is dusky-brown. The plumage on the upper parts of the body and neck is blackish brown, while the downer parts are white.

The wings are black and white, the tail black with green iridescence.

How Does the Spur-winged Goose in Uganda Sing and Make Calls?

This is a silent bird, however a thin whistle maybe heard when it is flying.

How Does the Spur-winged Goose in Uganda Nest?

When selecting a tree-nest site, goose usually select a nest that is close to the ground between 20 and 100 cm high in trees. they select a silent, untouched shores of riverbank and wetlands for nest sites.

A big nest is usually covered in vegetation near water, but tree holes and others like, and old Hamerkop nests may be used.

How Does the Spur-winged Goose in Uganda Feed?

Spur-winged Geese are grazing birds and spend the half of the day resting by water. geese largely feed on larvae and pupae commonly found under rocks, aquatic animals, plant material, seeds, small fish, snails and crabs.

Spur winged geese largely depend on people who offer them food to encourage them to come over and stay around and this works because they also enjoy free food.

However, the food that is usually fed to them at local ponds is not unsuitable for them and it is possible to cause health complications to the spur-winged geese.

Ducks and geese are dependent on humans for food, this can end in starvation and maybe loss of life when those feedings stop.