The world’s rarest goose lives only in Hawai’i; click here to discover more about the Nene, aka “The Hawaiian Goose”.
The second rarest goose species – pictured above – lives only in certain southern Australian coastal places.
Like the Nene, the Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) very nearly became extinct; by 1950, both species appeared to be “doomed”.
However, conservation efforts in the 20th century’s second half proved successful.
Neither species is now on the IUCN’s list of “threatened” species.
Certain key physical and behavioural features of Cape Barren geese are evident in the photo.
I took the picture on the evidently-breezy early afternoon of 26 March 2025.
As fellow herbivores – and as robust defenders of their “personal space” – these absolutely-wild birds are happy to “share” a paddock with a farmer’s sheep or cattle.
The above description applies to grazing, not breeding; Cape Barren geese do not build their nests in paddocks
The next couple of posts will reveal more about these very distinctive, large, mostly-grey and uncommonly “faithful” geese.
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