Greylag Goose Anser anser (domestic forms)

Two species of geese have been domesticated since ancient times, Greylag Goose and Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides). Domestic geese, also known as farmyard geese or, especially in North America, barnyard geese, frequently occur in the wild involving escaped or released individuals or their offspring. They readily breed with feral Greylag Geese and their descendents may show little or no evidence of their domestic ancestry.

Some domestic breeds of geese are descended from Greylag Goose while others are descended from Swan Goose, and others from both. In the wild it is not always possible to be sure if one or the other or both species are involved but signs of Swan Goose ancestry include black on the bill, a raised 'knob' at the base of the bill or a strongly contrasting dark 'mane' down the back of the neck.

Greylag Geese of domestic ancestry may show excessive weight with a deep sagging rear end, and an excessively deep bill is also a frequent sign of domestic heritage. As some domestic breeds of Greylag have entirely white plumage, significant amounts of white or pale plumage is also a probable sign of domestic ancestry. Of course wild Greylag Geese can be affected by leucism and show abnormal white plumage, or other pigment anomalies producing a pale washed-out appearance, however such conditions are rare in the wild, so I have included any such birds here as likely to be of domestic ancestry.

domestic Greylag Geese, Grafham Water (Cambridgeshire, UK), 24th September 2011

domestic Greylag Goose, Whitlingham Country Park (Norfolk, UK), 19th June 2011

domestic Greylag Goose, Whitlingham Country Park (Norfolk, UK), 1st July 2011

domestic Greylag Goose, Whitlingham Country Park (Norfolk, UK), 1st July 2011

captive domestic Greylag Geese, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 24th September 2018

domestic Greylag Goose, Caerlaverock (Dumfries & Galloway, UK), 29th December 2005

domestic Greylag Goose, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 4th November 2007

domestic Greylag Goose, Wroxham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 14th January 2017

domestic Greylag Geese, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 23rd February 2008

This bird looked exactly like a normal Greylag Geese except for the white band across the belly and white primaries. Such plumage abnormalities crop up reasonably often among wild Pink-footed Geese so could equally turn up naturally among feral Greylag Geese without any domestic input, however this is a pattern that often appears on birds with clear domestic ancestry (e.g. sagging belly) so it is probably (?) more likely that this bird had a domestic ancestor.

presumed domestic Greylag Goose (with normal Greylag Goose), Coxford (Norfolk, UK), 2nd April 2004

domestic Greylag Goose (with normal Greylag Goose), Wroxham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 2nd April 2004