Wildlife Wednesday
The Egyptian Goose
As their name implies, Egyptian Geese are far from home. Common throughout much of Africa, they were sacred to the Ancient Egyptians and often appeared in their art.
Birders began spotting Egyptian Geese in Florida in the 1960sIn the last twenty years or so, Egyptian geese have become very common, especially in Broward County.
They love our warm, sunny climate. Our golf courses, suburban parks offer them the perfect mix of open grassy areas, scattered trees and shrubs and shallow fresh water ponds or wetlands for foraging and breeding.
Males tend to be slightly larger than females. But the easiest way to tell them apart, males hiss, females honk! They mate for life, work together to raise their chicks and tend to live in pairs or small family groups.
Look for them at Easterlin Park or Tall Cypress Area.

Images in order of appearance:
Title card: “Egyptian Duck Perched Nest to a Pond in the MidDay Summer Sun in South Florida.” Mike Kuhlman/Shutterstock
Menna and Family Hunting in the Marshes, Tomb of MennaA.D. 1924; original ca. 1400–1352 B.C. Twentieth Century; original New Kingdom Nina de Garis Davies Public Domain. Courtesy of The Met. images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/eg/original/DT10878.jpg (CC0)


“Egyptian geese in flight.” Stanze. flickr.com/photos/stanzebla/51364787308. (CC BYSA 2.0)

“Egyptian Geese.” Martie Swart. flickr.com/photos/martie1swart/28099208905. (CC BY 2.0)


“Egyptian geese fight club.” Nick Goodrum. flickr.com/photos/nrgoodrum/31010199094. (CC BY 2.0)
“Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) family of goslings and parents swimming across lake Davie, Florida, USA.” Holly Guerrio/Shutterstock.

All other video filmed by Broward County Parks and Recreation staff.

Music: “As Time Passes.” Zapsplat.com.
This free educational video is a public service announcement brought to you by Broward County Parks and Recreation.