Greylag Goose

Anser anser

The greylag goose is the largest native wild goose species and the wild ancestor of our domestic geese. With its grey plumage and orange bill, it is easily recognised around wetlands. Greylag geese usually form lifelong pair bonds and raise their young together as a family. While many birds from Northern Europe migrate south in winter, numerous Central European greylag geese remain in their breeding areas throughout the year.

The greylag goose became famous through the behavioural scientist Konrad Lorenz, who used these birds to study the phenomenon of imprinting. Lorenz found that newly hatched goslings become attached to the first moving object they see and follow it unconditionally, even if that object is a human.