Bar-headed Goose

I have always thought this Goose at the Zoo was attractive, but only finally got round to identifying it today, ready for posting this image.

"The Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) is a goose which breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes. It lays 3-8 eggs in a ground nest.

The preferred summer habitat is high altitude lakes where the bird grazes on short grass. It suffers predation from crows, foxes, kites, ravens, sea eagles and others. The total population may, however, be increasing.

The Bar-headed Goose migrates over the Himalayas to spend the winter in India, Assam, Northern Burma and the wetlands of Pakistan. The winter habitat of the Bar-headed Goose is on cultivation, and the bird feeds on barley, rice and wheat, and may damage crops.

The Bar-headed Goose is believed to be the highest flying bird having been seen at up to 10175 m (33,382 feet). It has a slightly larger wing area for its weight than other geese. It is believed this helps the goose to fly so high.

The Bar-headed Goose is often kept in captivity as it is considered beautiful and breeds readily in captivity from which it sometimes escapes. Records in Britain are frequent, and almost certainly relate to escapes - however, the species has bred on several occasions in recent years and around five pairs were recorded in 2002 (the most recent available report of the Rare Birds Breeding Panel). It is possible the species is becoming gradually more established in the UK. The bird is sociable and causes no problems for other birds. The wild population is believed to be declining due to over-hunting." Taken from the Wikipedia website.