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{{Short description|Common name for a group of waterfowl}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
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[[File:Anser anser 1 (Piotr Kuczynski).jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A greylag goose (''[[Anser anser]]''), with a [[moorhen|rail]] in the background.]]
A '''goose''' ({{plural form}}: '''geese''') is a [[bird]] of any of several [[waterfowl]] [[species]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Anatidae]]. This group comprises the [[genera]] ''[[Anser (bird)|Anser]]'' (grey geese and white geese) and ''[[Branta]]'' (black geese). Some members of the [[Tadorninae]] subfamily (e.g., [[Egyptian goose]], [[Orinoco goose]]) are commonly called geese, but are not considered "true geese" taxonomically.<ref>Ottenburghs, Jente; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Kraus, Robert H.S.; Madsen, Ole; van Hooft, Pim; van Wieren, Sipke E.; Crooijmans, Richard P.M.A.; Ydenburg, Ronald C.; Groenen, Martien A.M.; Prins, Herbert H.T. (2016). "A tree of geese: A phylogenomic perspective on the evolutionary history of True Geese". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution''. '''101''': 303–313. [[Doi (identifier)|doi]]:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.021</ref> More distantly related members of the family Anatidae are [[swan]]s, most of which are larger than true geese, and [[duck]]s, which are smaller.

The term "goose" may refer to such bird of either sex, but when paired with "'''gander'''", "goose" refers specifically to a female one ("gander" referring to a male). Young birds before fledging are called '''goslings'''.<ref name=Partridge/> The [[List of collective nouns|collective noun]] for a group of geese on the ground is a '''gaggle'''; when in flight, they are called a '''skein''', a '''team''', or a '''wedge'''; when flying close together, they are called a '''plump'''.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020120740/http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/collective/g/ |url=http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/collective/g/ |title=AskOxford: G |access-date=19 September 2011 |work=Collective Terms for Groups of Animals |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, United Kingdom |archive-date=20 October 2008}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The word "goose" is a direct descendant of [[Proto-Indo-European]] ''*ǵʰh₂éns''. In [[Germanic language]]s, the root gave [[Old English]] ''gōs'' with the plural ''gēs'' and ''gandra'' (becoming Modern English goose, geese, gander, respectively), [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]] ''goes'', ''gies'' and ''guoske'', {{langx|nl|gans, ganzen, ganzerik}}, [[New High German]] ''Gans'', ''Gänse'', and ''Ganter'', and [[Old Norse]] ''gás'' and ''gæslingr'', whence English ''gosling''.

This term also gave {{langx|lt|žąsìs}}, {{langx|ga|gé}} (goose, from {{langx|sga|géiss}}), {{langx|hi|हंस}} ({{Transliteration|hi|hans}}), {{langx|la|anser}},  [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and {{langx|pt|ganso}}, [[Ancient Greek language|Ancient]] {{langx|el|χήν}} ({{Transliteration|grc|khēn}}), {{langx|sq|gatë}} ([[swan]]s), {{langx|fi|hanhi}}, {{langx|ae|zāō}}, {{langx|pl|gęś}}, {{langx|ro|gâscă / gânsac}}, {{langx|uk|гуска / гусак}} ({{Transliteration|uk|huska / husak}}), {{langx|ru|гусыня / гусь}} ({{Transliteration|ru|gusyna / gus}}), {{langx|cs|husa}}, and {{langx|fa|{{Nastaliq|غاز}}}} ({{Transliteration|fa|ghāz}}).<ref name="Partridge">{{Cite book |last=Partridge |first=Eric |author-link=Eric Partridge |title=Origins: a Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English |publisher=Greenwich House |year=1983 |location=New York |isbn=0-517-414252 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/originsshortetym0000part/page/245 245–246] |url=https://archive.org/details/originsshortetym0000part/page/245 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Crystal |first=David |year=1998 |title=The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language |isbn=0-521-55967-7}}</ref>

== True geese and their relatives ==
[[File:Anser caerulescens CT8.jpg|thumb|[[Snow geese]] (''Anser caerulescens'') in [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]]]
[[File:Bütykös lúd - Gergelyiugornya.JPG|thumb|[[Chinese geese]] (''Anser cygnoides domesticus''), the domesticated form of the [[swan goose]] (''Anser cygnoides'')]]
[[File:Geese in Naantali, Finland.jpg|thumb|[[Barnacle geese]] (''Branta leucopsis'') in [[Naantali]], [[Finland]]]]

The two living [[genus|genera]] of true geese are: ''[[Anser (genus)|Anser]]'', grey geese and white geese, such as the [[greylag goose]] and [[snow goose]], and ''[[Branta]]'', black geese, such as the [[Canada goose]].

Two genera of geese are only tentatively placed in the Anserinae; they may belong to the [[shelduck]]s or form a subfamily on their own: ''[[Cereopsis]]'', the Cape Barren goose, and ''[[Cnemiornis]]'', the prehistoric [[New Zealand goose]]. Either these or, more probably, the goose-like [[coscoroba swan]] is the closest living relative of the true geese.

[[Fossil]]s of true geese are hard to assign to genus; all that can be said is that their fossil record, particularly in [[North America]], is dense and comprehensively documents many different species of true geese that have been around since about 10 [[million years ago]] in the [[Miocene]]. The aptly named ''Anser atavus'' (meaning "progenitor goose") from some 12 million years ago had even more [[plesiomorph]]ies in common with swans. In addition, some goose-like birds are known from [[subfossil]] remains found on the [[Hawaiian Islands]].

Geese are [[Monogamous pairing in animals|monogamous]], living in permanent pairs throughout the year; however, unlike most other permanently monogamous animals, they are territorial only during the short nesting season. Paired geese are more dominant and feed more, two factors that result in more young.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lamprecht |first=Jürg |title=Female reproductive strategies in bar-headed geese (''Anser indicus''): Why are geese monogamous? |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |volume=21 |issue=5 |pages=297–305 |publisher=Springer |year=1987 |doi=10.1007/BF00299967|bibcode=1987BEcoS..21..297L |s2cid=34973918 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=10 May 2011|title=Canada Goose|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/c/canada-goose/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502042921/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/c/canada-goose/|archive-date=May 2, 2017|access-date=21 November 2020|website=National Geographic|language=en}}</ref>

== Fossil record ==
Goose fossils have been found ranging from 10 to 12 million years ago (Middle Miocene). ''[[Garganornis ballmanni]]'' from [[Late Miocene]] (~ 6–9 Ma) of [[Gargano]] region of central Italy, stood one and a half meters tall and weighed about 22 kilograms. The evidence suggests the bird was flightless, unlike modern geese.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fossils from ancient extinct giant flightless goose suggests it was a fighter|url=https://phys.org/news/2017-01-fossils-ancient-extinct-giant-flightless.html|access-date=21 November 2020|website=phys.org|language=en|author=Yirka, Bob|date=2017}}</ref>

== Migratory patterns ==
Most goose species are migratory, though populations of Canada geese living near human developments may remain in a locality year-round.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Handwerk |first=Brian |date=16 December 2020 |title=Do Canada geese still fly south for winter? Yes, but it's complicated. |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/do-canada-geese-still-fly-south-for-winter |access-date=17 March 2024 |website=National Geographic}}</ref> These 'resident' geese, found primarily in the eastern United States, may migrate only short distances, or not at all, if they have adequate food supply and access to open water.<ref name=":3" />

=== Navigation ===
Migratory geese may use several environmental cues in timing the beginning of their migration, including temperature, predation threat, and food availability.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=van Wijk |first1=Rien E. |last2=Koelzch |first2=Andrea |last3=Kruckenberg |first3=Helmut |last4=Ebbinge |first4=Barwolt S. |last5=Mueskens |first5=Gerhard J.D.M. |last6=Nolet |first6=Bart A. |date=2012 |title=Individually tracked geese follow peaks of temperature acceleration during spring migration |journal=Oikos |volume=121 |issue=5 |pages=655–664 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.20083.x|bibcode=2012Oikos.121..655V |url=http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-2-1cyvc928shqh72 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jonker |first1=Rudy M. |last2=Eichhorn |first2=Goetz |last3=van Langevelde |first3=Frank |last4=Bauer |first4=Silke |date=2010 |title=Predation Danger Can Explain Changes in Timing of Migration: The Case of the Barnacle Goose |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=5 |issue=6 |article-number=e11369 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0011369|doi-access=free |pmid=20614027 |pmc=2894857 |bibcode=2010PLoSO...511369J }}</ref> Like all migratory birds, geese exhibit an ability to navigate using an internal compass, using a combination of innate and learned behaviors. The preferred direction of migration is heritable, and birds appear to orient themselves using Earth's magnetic field.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wiltschko |first=Roswitha |date=2017 |title=Navigation |journal=Journal of Comparative Physiology A |volume=203 |issue=6–7 |pages=455–463 |doi=10.1007/s00359-017-1160-1|pmid=28289837 }}</ref> Migrations occur over the course of several weeks, and up to 85% of migration time is spent at perennial stopover sites, where individuals rest and build up fat stores for further travel.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Blount |first1=J. David |last2=Horns |first2=Joshua J. |last3=Kittelberger |first3=Kyle D. |last4=Neate-Clegg |first4=Montague H.C. |last5=Sekercioglu |first5=Cagan H. |date=2021 |title=Avian Use of Agricultural Areas as Migration Stopover Sites: A Review of Crop Management Practices and Ecological Correlates |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |volume=9 |article-number=650641 |doi=10.3389/fevo.2021.650641|doi-access=free |bibcode=2021FrEEv...950641B }}</ref>

=== Formation ===
Geese, like other birds, fly in a [[V formation]]. This formation helps to conserve energy in flight, and aids in communication and monitoring of flock mates.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Why do geese fly in a V?|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/why-do-geese-fly-in-a-v/|access-date=2021-12-08|website=Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yong |first=Ed |date=2014-01-15 |title=Birds That Fly in a V Formation Use An Amazing Trick |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/birds-that-fly-in-a-v-formation-use-an-amazing-trick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222220648/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/birds-that-fly-in-a-v-formation-use-an-amazing-trick |archive-date=February 22, 2021 |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}</ref> Using [[great white pelican]]s as a model species, researchers showed that flying in a V formation increased the aerodynamics of trailing birds, thus requiring fewer wing flaps to stay aloft and lowering individuals' heartrates.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Weimerskirch |first1=Henri |last2=Martin |first2=Julien |last3=Clerquin |first3=Yannick |last4=Alexandre |first4=Peggy |last5=Jiraskova |first5=Sarka |date=2001 |title=Energy Saving in Flight Formation |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/35099670 |journal=Nature |volume=413 |issue=6857 |pages=697–698|doi=10.1038/35099670 |pmid=11607019 |bibcode=2001Natur.413..697W |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Leading geese switch positions on longer flights to allow for multiple individuals to gain benefits from the less energy-intensive trailing positions; in family groups, parental birds almost always lead.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mirzaeinia |first1=A. |last2=Heppner |first2=F. |last3=Hassanalian |first3=M. |date=2020 |title=An analytical study on leader and follower switching in V-shaped Canada Goose flocks for energy management purposes |journal=Swarm Intelligence |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=117–141|doi=10.1007/s11721-020-00179-x }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Koelzch |first1=A. |last2=Flack |first2=A. |last3=Mueskens |first3=G.J.D.M. |last4=Kruckenberg |first4=H. |last5=Glazov |first5=P. |last6=Wikelski |first6=M. |date=2020 |title=Goose parents lead migration V |journal=Journal of Avian Biology |volume=51 |issue=3|article-number=jav.02392 |doi=10.1111/jav.02392 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Other birds called "geese" ==
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1=Greylag Goose in St James's Park, London - May 2006.jpg |caption1=[[Greylag goose]] at [[St. James's Park]], [[London]], [[England]] |width1=
 |image2=Cereopsis novaehollandiae 2.jpg |caption2=[[Cape Barren goose]] (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae'') in [[Maria Island]], [[Australia]] |width2=}}

Some mainly [[Southern Hemisphere]] birds are called "geese", most of which belong to the [[shelduck]] subfamily [[Tadorninae]]. These are:
* The [[Orinoco goose]] (''Neochen jubata'')
* The [[Egyptian goose]] (''Alopochen aegyptiaca'')
* The South American [[Sheldgoose|sheldgeese]] in the genus ''Chloephaga''
* The [[Late Quaternary prehistoric birds|prehistoric]] [[Malagasy sheldgoose]] (''Centrornis majori'')

Others:
* The [[spur-winged goose]] (''Plectropterus gambensis'') is most closely related to the shelducks, but distinct enough to warrant its own subfamily, the [[Plectropterinae]].
* The [[blue-winged goose]] (''Cyanochen cyanopterus'') and the [[Cape Barren goose]] (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae'') have disputed affinities. They belong to separate ancient lineages that may ally either to the [[Tadorninae]], the [[Anserinae]], or closer to the dabbling ducks (Anatinae).
* The three species of small waterfowl in the genus ''[[Nettapus]]'' named "pygmy geese"; they seem to represent another ancient lineage, with possible affinities to the Cape Barren goose or the spur-winged goose.
* The [[maned goose]], also known as the maned duck or Australian wood duck (''Chenonetta jubata'')
* A genus of prehistorically [[extinct]] [[seaduck]]s, ''[[Chendytes]]'', is sometimes called the "diving-geese" due to their large size.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=New Records and a New Species of Chendytes, an Extinct Genus of Diving Geese |first=Hildegarde |last=Howard |journal=The Condor |volume=57 |issue=3 |year=1955 |pages=135–143 |doi=10.2307/1364861 |jstor=1364861}}</ref>
* The [[magpie goose]] (''Anseranas semipalmata'') is the only living species in the family [[Anseranatidae]].
* The [[northern gannet]] (''Morus bassanus''), a seabird, is also known as the "solan goose", although it is unrelated to the true geese, or any other [[Anseriformes]] for that matter.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chester |first=Sharon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yDD9CwAAQBAJ |title=The Arctic Guide: Wildlife of the Far North |date=2016-09-06 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-6596-3 |page=163 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Morus bassanus (Linnaeus, 1758) |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/2480964 |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=www.gbif.org |language=en}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==

=== Sayings and phrases that reference geese ===
* To "have a gander" is to look at something.
* {{anchor|sauce}} "What's good sauce for the goose is good sauce for the gander" or "What's good for the goose is good for the gander" means that what is an appropriate treatment for one person is equally appropriate for someone else.  This statement supporting equality is frequently used in the context of sex and gender, because a goose is female and a gander is male.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Warhol |first1=Tom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkepQQWk-TQC&dq=%22sauce+for+the+goose%22+gender&pg=PA210 |title=Birdwatcher's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Advice, Insight, and Information for Enthusiastic Birders |last2=Schneck |first2=Marcus |date=2010-10-01 |publisher=Quarry Books |isbn=978-1-61059-399-1 |page=210 |language=en}}</ref>
* Saying that someone's "goose is cooked" means that they are about to be punished.<ref name=":2" />
* The common phrase "silly goose" is used when referring to someone who is acting particularly silly.<ref name=":2" />
* "[[The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs|Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs]]", derived from [[Aesop's Fables]], is a saying referring to a greed-motivated action that destroys or otherwise renders useless a favourable situation that would have provided benefits over time.<ref name=":2" />
* "A wild goose chase" is a useless, futile waste of time and effort.  It is derived from a 16th-century horse racing event.<ref name=":2" />
* A raised, rounded area of swelling (typically a [[hematoma]]) caused by an impact injury is sometimes metaphorically called a "goose egg", especially if it occurs on the head.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Plummer |first1=Ellen S. |last2=Crary |first2=Shelley E. |last3=Buchanan |first3=George R. |date=2013 |title=Prominent forehead hematomas ("goose-eggs") as an initial manifestation of hemophilia |journal=The Journal of Pediatrics |volume=163 |issue=6 |pages=1781–1783 |doi=10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.07.012|pmid=23968747 }}</ref>

=== Geese as characters in cultural works ===
* [[Mother Goose]] is a fictitious children's storybook author associated with several collections of fairy tales and nursery rhymes translated into English during the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tsurumi |first=Ryoji |date=1990 |title=The Development of Mother Goose in Britain in the Nineteenth Century  |journal=Folklore |volume=101 |issue=1 |pages=28–35 |doi=10.1080/0015587X.1990.9715776 |jstor=1259881 }}</ref>
* ''Gänsewein'' (German, {{Literal translation|Goose wine}}<abbr>)</abbr> is a playful term for plain drinking water, first documented the ''Podagrammisch Trostbüchlein'' by [[Johann Fischart]] (1577).<ref>''[https://www.beverage-world.com/en/newsdetail/goose-wine-do-geese-live-in-germany-like-god-in-france Goose wine - Do geese live in Germany like God in France?]'', Birkner's Beverage World, July 25, 2022</ref>
* Popular [[indie game]] [[Untitled Goose Game]] released in 2019 chronicles the activities of an ornery goose in an English village.
* In the late 18th century poem, [[The Goose and the Common]], geese serve to illustrate the social and economic issues cased by the [[enclosure]] of [[Commons|common]] land.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Boyle |first=James |date=2003 |title=The Second Enclosure Movement and the Construction of the Public Domain |url=http://www.ssrn.com/abstract=470983 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |language=en |doi=10.2139/ssrn.470983 |issn=1556-5068|hdl=10535/3443 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==="Gray Goose Laws" in Iceland===

The oldest collection of [[Icelandic Commonwealth|Medieval Icelandic]] laws is known as ''"Grágás"''; i.e., the ''[[Gray Goose Laws]]''. Various etymologies were offered for that name:
* The fact that the laws were written with a goose quill;
* The fact that the laws were bound in goose skin;
* Because of the age of the laws — it was then believed that geese lived longer than other birds.<ref>Boulhosa, Patricia Press. "The Law of Óláfr inn Helgi." In ''Icelanders and the Kings of Norway: Mediaeval Sagas and Legal Texts''. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2005.</ref><ref>Byock, Jesse L., ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=A4S6Bnw3HnkC Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and Power]'', Berkeley: University of California, 1990</ref><ref>Byock, Jesse L. "Grágás: ''The 'Grey Goose' Law'' in ''Viking Age Iceland'' London: Penguin, 2001.</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:White Duck standing on a concrete platform near a pond.jpg|A domestic goose standing on a concrete platform at Kamalpokhari, Nepal.
File:Canada goose gosling - natures pics.jpg|[[Canada goose]] gosling
File:Branta canadensis in flight, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.jpg|Canada geese in flight, Great Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary
File:Goose breastbone.jpg|Goose breastbone, the colour of the bones after cooking was used to predict how cold winter would be in Lincolnshire folkloric traditions ([[North Lincolnshire Museum]])
</gallery>

== See also ==
[[File:Polvijärvi.vaakuna.svg|thumb|upright=0.6|Three flying geese in the coat of arms of [[Polvijärvi]]]]
* [[Angel wing]], a disease common in geese
* [[Domestic goose]], which includes cooking and folklore
* [[Flying geese paradigm]]
* [[List of Anseriformes by population]]
* [[List of goose breeds]]
* [[Roast goose]]
* [[Waterfowl]]
* [[Wildfowl]]
* ''[[Untitled Goose Game]]'', a 2019 [[video game]] centering around a goose that takes place in a middle-class village in [[England]].

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Carboneras|first=Carles|year=1992|chapter=Family Anatidae (Ducks, Geese and Swans)|editor1-last=del Hoyo|editor1-first=Josep|editor2-last=Elliott|editor2-first=Andrew|editor3-last=Sargatal|editor3-first=Jordi|title=[[Handbook of Birds of the World]]. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks|pages=[https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/536 536–629]|publisher=Lynx Edicions|location=Barcelona|isbn=84-87334-10-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Terres|first= John K. |author2= National Audubon Society |author2-link= National Audubon Society |year=1991|title=The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds|publisher= Wings Books|location= New York|orig-date= 1980 |isbn=0-517-03288-0}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Geese}}
{{Wikiquote|Geese}}
{{wiktionary|goose}}
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/ducks-geese-swans-anatidae Anatidae media] on the Internet Bird Collection

{{Poultry}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Geese| ]]
[[Category:Bird common names]]