We identify the waterbird species from Anser and Branta genera as a goose and a gander. The primary difference between Goose and Gander is in their gender identity. While the word Goose is used for a female bird, Gander refers to indicate a male one.
These are naturally migratory birds that fly hundreds of miles to find suitable ecological conditions. They usually fly in a V-shaped formation.
In the English language, when a geese group is on the land is called a gaggle; a group of geese in flight is called a wedge, skein, or a team. And when a team flies close in a flock, they are called a Plump.
Colloquially ‘Goose’ or ‘Geese’ words are used for a whole breed irrespectively of any gender.
Table of Contents
Comparison chart
| Difference | Goose | Gander |
| Gender | Female. | Male |
| Hormones | Geese have more estrogen hormones than androgen hormones. | Ganders have more androgen hormones than estrogen hormones. |
| Genital organs | Geese have a clockwise coiled vagina into the cloaca. | Ganders have an anticlockwise coiled phallus (penis) into the cloaca. They have two testes to produce sperm. |
| Reproduction | Geese produce ovum and lay eggs. They have one functional ovary (left ovary, connected to an oviduct) to produce an ovum. Some geese may have two functional ovaries (every female bird has two ovaries at the embryonic stage). | Ganders produce sperm to make geese lay fertilized eggs. |
| Neck | Geese have a thicker and shorter neck according to their body size than ganders. | Ganders have a narrower and longer neck according to their body size than geese. |
| Undercarriage | undercarriages of geese, which hang a little lower than the ganders. | The undercarriages of ganders are higher than the geese. |
| Head | Geese have a slightly smaller head than the ganders. | Ganders have a slightly larger head than the geese. |
| Bill | Geese have shorter bills than ganders. | Ganders have longer bills than geese. |
| Weight | The average goose is lighter than the average gander. (But not every gander is heavier than every goose in various species.) | The average gander is heavier than the average goose. (But not every gander is heavier than every goose in various species.) |
| Noise | Geese produce faster and higher-pitched harsh hoarse ‘hrinks’ (female goose sound). | Ganders produce slower and lower-pitched shrilling ‘honks’ (male goose sound). |
| Appearance | Geese get body and neck position horizontally. It’s a posture of submission to the male. | Ganders tend to raise their head high, point their bills up, and stretch their body into a vertical position. It is a show up about their dominance on the female. |
| Nature and Behavior | In a usual time, geese are less offensive, less suspicious than ganders. But they become more aggressive than ganders during pregnancy. They are protective to protect eggs and goslings. | Ganders are more suspicious. They are protective of their mating partners, eggs, goslings and are more offensive to any stranger. When a flock is approached, ganders move outside. They always cover geese from strangers. |
| Others | Geese of any subspecies do not have any bill-knob. | Male Domestic greylag goose (Anser anser domesticus) has a knob at the base of its top beak. |
What is Goose?
Goose definition refers to any large aquatic bird that looks similar to ducks. The plural form of Goose is geese. When we say goose, it more specifically indicates a female bird. Goose includes several waterfowl birds from Anser and Branta genera in the Anatidae bird family.
Usually, a goose is larger than a duck and shorter than a swan. Geese have short legs with webbed feet, longer necks, and shorter bills.
Types of goose
Based on genera, geese are generally divided into several categories: The grey geese, the white geese, the black geese, and others. The genus Anser comprises the grey geese, the white geese belong to the genus Chen, and the genus Branta consists of the black geese.
However, geese have several species and subspecies too. There are two types of domestic subspecies: Domestic greylag goose (Anser anser domesticus) and Domestic swan goose (Anser cygnoides domesticus). Steinbach fighting goose and Obroshin goose are two hybrid kinds of geese.
What is Gander?
The term Gander indicates an adult male goose. So it can be said that a Gander differentiates itself from a goose by its gender, hormones, and some physical features.
Types of gander
The types of gander and goose are actually the same. What is referred to as a type of geese can also be referred to as a type of Gander because a gander is a mature male form of a goose.
The key differences between goose and gander
- Goose is female, and Gander is male. Goose has more estrogen hormones than androgen hormones and gander has more androgen hormones than estrogen hormones.
- Goose has a clockwise coiled vagina. It has one functional ovary (left ovary) to produce ovum and have two ovaries at the embryonic stage. Some geese may have two functional ovaries at the mature stage. Gander has an anticlockwise coiled phallus. It has two testes to produce sperm.
- Goose produces ovum and lays eggs, and gander secretes sperm to make geese lay fertilized eggs.
- Gander has a slightly larger head and longer bill with a narrow longer neck than the goose. The Average ganders weigh heavier than the average goose. Goose has a thicker and shorter neck according to its body size than the gander.
- The undercarriages of goose which hang a little lower than the gander.
- Gander produces slower and lower-pitched honk than the goose.
- Ganders tend to raise their head high, point their bills up and stretch their body into a vertical position. It is a show up about their dominance on the female. Geese get body and neck position horizontally. It’s a posture of submission to the male.
- Goose is more protective of its nest, eggs, and goslings. Gander is protective of his mating partner and their eggs and goslings. When a flock is approached, ganders move outside. Ganders always cover geese from strangers.
Goose vs Gander: Behavior
The difference between goose and gander is significant while it comes to behavior. Generally, it’s not easy to identify between a goose and a gander. Yet, if a person just follows their behavioral difference for a while, it won’t be tough for that person to tell a goose and a gander apart.
Geese are the most intelligent kind among birds. They have sharp memories, which means they can remember people and objects for a long time. Geese are notorious for messy nature, loud honk noise, and aggressive behavior.
Generally, Goose behavior is less aggressive than Ganders. However, during the pregnancy period, a goose becomes more aggressive than a gander to protect its eggs and goslings.
On the other hand, Gander will always stay between you and a goose. This is one of the significant behaviors that distinguish a gander from geese. A gander is devoted to protecting its female partner from any suspicious stranger or object. It usually moves its head like snakes and tends to bite other animals.
How to tell between goose and gander?
There are some factors and features that can help you to identify between a goose and a gander. Some points are mentioned below:
- Goose has a thicker and shorter neck according to its body size than gander’s neck.
- Geese have undercarriages, which hang a little lower than ganders.
- Ganders produce slower and lower-pitched honk than geese.
- Goose is more protective of its nest, eggs, and goslings. Ganders are protective of their mating partner.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs):
Are swan and goose similar?
Swans are any species of birds from the Cygnus genus from ‘Anserinae’ subfamily, closest to geese varieties.
How many years do geese live?
Different species of geese have different averages of life expectancy, varying from 6 to 30 years in the wild. But some domestic species of geese live more than that in human care.
How many eggs a year do geese lay?
Different species of geese lay different quantities of eggs. It varies from 10 to 50 eggs each year in the wild. Some domesticated geese lay up to more than 100 eggs in a year. Geese lay most eggs in the spring season.
Which country has the most geese population?
China has more than 85% of the world’s geese population.
Which country produces the most goose meat and egg?
China produces more than 90% of goose meat and the goose egg in the world.
Are American Buff goose and Canada goose domestic geese?
Canada goose (Branta Canadensis) is a wild goose species. American Buff goose is a Domestic greylag goose (Anser anser domesticus) breed.
Is swan goose a goose or a swan?
Swan goose (Anser cygnoides) is a variety of goose, not a swan.
Do geese pair for life?
A pair of wild goose mates for a lifetime. They are mainly monogamous. But domestic geese are polygamous.
Are geese polygamous?
Wild geese are mainly monogamous. In maximum cases, they pair for the entire life. Domestic geese are polygamous.
How can you tell if a goose is pregnant?
When a goose is pregnant, it shows some exclusive behavior. At this time it is active to build the nest. Pregnant goose craves strange food, like garlic. It shows pregnancy moodiness and aggressiveness. During this time nausea develops in it. A Urine pregnancy test can be a conclusive assumption that a goose is pregnant.
How can we distinguish a gosling from a duckling?
Goslings are larger than ducklings. Their bill is triangular-shaped, and ducklings’ are flattened and spatulate-shaped. Goslings’ necks are longer than ducklings’.
Conclusion
While we ask about goose and gander meaning it refers to the same kind of bird. As we already know the fundamental difference between goose and gander is in their gender identity. However, there are some other internal and external features that distinguish one from another that we have discussed already here in this article.
Monroe is a science enthusiast, a molecular biology graduate, and a zoophilist. He’s been writing articles on general science for nearly a decade and helping local school kids on various scientific projects.