Greylag Goose

The Greylag Goose is the largest of geese in Estonia. The adult bird weighs 3…4.5 kg, approximately as much as a farmyard goose. As the name suggests it is mainly grey. Head and neck are brownish-grey, wings and back are light grey and it is white under tail coverts. Bill is yellowish-orange and legs are pink.

Extensive reeds and coastal meadows are the habitats of the Greylag Goose. In autumn while migrating they often flock in fields, meadows and similar bare areas. The Greylag Goose feeds on plants.

Few Greylag Geese nest in marshes and swamps, most of them prefer islets in the sea. The Greylag Goose builds the nest of dried reeds at the edge of reed-beds. There are 2 - 17 eggs, usually 3 - 6 white rough-shelled eggs in the nest at the end of April. The young hatch at the beginning of May. The Greylag Goose is very sensitive to disturbance at the time of breeding and thus they should not be disturbed in any way. Life in nature is tough and deserted helpless young will be eaten up by seagulls.

When the young are capable of following their parents, the family leaves the nest. The parents keep vigilant watch of their young and few of them get killed compared with the number of victims of hatching time. They take longer and longer trips to the open sea and spend the time of moulting on small islands or islets. The young are incapable of flying at that time. This is the reason for preferring remote islets in the sea since there are few or no enemies in nature there. The young are able to fly at the end of July. The arrival and departure of the Greylag Goose is connected with ice drift and freezing water in the sea.

The Greylag Goose during the migration period in autumn is a valuable game. At any other time it is not allowed to shoot them.