Kelp goose

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Kelp goose
Kelpgoosealpha.jpg

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Chloephaga
Species:
C. hybrida
Binomial name
Chloephaga hybrida
(Molina, 1782)
Subspecies
  • C. h. hybrida (Molina, 1782)
  • C. h. malvinarum (Phillips, 1916)
Chloephaga hybrida map.svg

The kelp goose (Spanish: Caranca or Cauquén Marino), Chloephaga hybrida, is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae. It can be found in the Southern part of South America - mainly in Patagonian Chile, Tierra del Fuego, and the Falkland Islands.

Habitat[]

Kelp geese inhabit Chile's southern half to the eastern tip of Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. They habitat rocky coasts around their food sources.

Description[]

Female on left, male on right

Males are a white color, with a black beak, and yellow feet. The females are dark brown, with transverse gray lines on the chest, and yellow feet.[2][3]

Behavior[]

Kelp geese generally have clutches of 2–7 eggs. They prefer to hide their eggs in long grass. The eggs hatch about a month later.

There are about 15,000 breeding pairs in existence.[3]

Ecology[]

Kelp geese are noted for only eating kelp and will migrate along the coast of South America in order to find kelp, hence the name 'kelp geese'.

Trivia[]

In the Falkland Islands and Argentina there are kelp geese stamps.

  • Female on East Falkland

  • A pair on East Falkland

  • Two females, one male, and two juveniles on Chiloé, Chile.

References[]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Chloephaga hybrida". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22679978A92837056. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679978A92837056.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Birds of the Falkland Islands: Kelp Goose". Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  3. ^ a b "Kelp Goose". Archived from the original on 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
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