Birds That Pair For Life

Geese have some traits resembling those of humans, i.e. stable pairing. These intelligent birds are faithful to each other for life. If either of the two dies, the surviving bird will remain single for a long time, or even for life and would take no other mate. Usually they nest away from other birds and in most cases only the females build nests and incubate. When she has to leave nest to forage, it covers the eggs with down which it plucks from her breast. They also have close family ties. Goslings, even if they are grown up, do not leave their parents.

The world population of many species of geese has declined drastically in last 50-60 years. They had to face large-scale persecution not only during the breeding season but also in their wintering grounds, which are far from their nesting places in totally different countries.

The population of bean goose (Anser fabalis) has also dwindled in recent years throughout its distribution range, except in Iceland where an estimated population is about 70,000. It breeds in the Arctic regions of Asia, Europe and the coasts of Greenland. In Europe its wintering grounds are in the western and southern parts.

At beginning of the last century some four lakh (four hundred thousand) of Brent geese (Branta bernicla) wintered in Europe, whereas by the end of 1940s, only 25,000 remained. In 1931, according to an estimate, an average of 11,000 birds wintered in Holland, but in 1953 there were only 1,000. In Denmark their number went down from 8,000 to about 1,500. In America the population comprises 90 per cent of the world population, estimated number being 1.80 lakh (180 thousand), which is not very much. These birds breed in the arctic tundra of Asia, Europe and North America.