Bar-headed Goose

Anser indicus

A pair of Bar-headed Geese
Photo courtesy of Toni Ransfield

This Central Asian species is very popular in collections. It is a good bird for beginners in wildfowl, being nonaggressive and an easy keeper, highly tolerant of cold weather. Sexes are similar in their plumage and the birds are easy to recognize, due to the two horizontal black stripes on their heads; one stripe runs forward to the eye and the other is lower and only runs partway forward.

In the wild, these geese nest in very dense colonies, nests often being within pecking distance of the neighbors. The usual clutch consists of 3-4 eggs which are incubated for 28-30 days.