Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca Scientific name definitions

Native to sub-Saharan Africa, the Egyptian Goose is an exotic species in North America. Their introduction and establishment is not well understood, but the species likely originated from escapees from captive waterfowl collections. The authors of the earliest reports of Egyptian Geese in the wild in North America (Arkhust 1877 Arkhust, J. (1877). Capture of the Egyptian Goose on Long Island. Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club 2:52. Close , Kirkwood 1900 Kirkwood, F. C. (1900). The occurrence of the Egyptian Goose in North America. Auk 17:64-65. Close ) suggested that records were of natural occurrence because birds were exhausted and found on the East Coast. However, these individuals were likely escapees (Baird et al. 1884 Baird, S. F., T. M. Brewer and R. Ridgway. (1884). The waterbirds of North America. Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard Univ. 13:1-549. Close , American Ornithologists' Union 1901 American Ornithologists' Union. (1901). Tenth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American birds. Auk 18:295-320. Close ), as Egyptian Geese were commonly held in captive collections, and many were imported during this time (Phillips 1928 Phillips, J. C. (1928). Wild birds introduced or transplanted in North America. In Tech. Bull. 61: U.S. Dep. Agric. Close ).

As an exotic species, there is much concern over the potential economic, ecological, and social impacts that the Egyptian Goose may have in North America. The species is invasive in Europe, where it is considered a high-risk species, and management action is recommended (Gyimesi and Lensink 2010 Gyimesi, A. and R. Lensink. (2010). Risk analysis of the Egyptian Goose in The Netherlands. Consultants for Environment and Ecology. Close ). Even in their native range of Africa, they are considered pests due to their willingness to eat farmer’s crops (Mangnall and Crowe 2001 Mangnall, M. J. and T. M. Crowe. (2001). Managing Egyptian Geese on the croplands of the Agulhas Plain, Western Cape, South Africa. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 31 (1-2):25-34. Close , Mangnall and Crowe 2002 Mangnall, M. J. and T. M. Crowe. (2002). Population dynamics and the physical and financial impacts to cereal crops of the Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus on the Agulhas Plain, Western Cape, South Africa. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 90 (3):231-246. Close ) and their prevalence on golf courses (Mackay et al. 2014 Mackay, B., R. M. Little, A. Amar and P. A. R. Hockey. (2014). Incorporating environmental considerations in managing Egyptian Geese on golf courses in South Africa. Journal of Wildlife Management 78 (4):671-678. Close ).

In North America, breeding in the wild was first reported in 1967 in California (Renwick 1968 Renwick, Jr., C. S. (1968). Egyptians come to California. Game Bird Breeders, Aviculturists, and Conservationists Gazette 16:27. Close ), and by the mid-1980s in Florida (Pranty and Ponzo 2014 Pranty, B. and V. Ponzo. (2014). Status and distribution of Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in Southeastern Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 42 (3):91-107. Close ). There are currently significant populations in states of Florida, Texas, and California (Pranty and Garrett 2011 Pranty, B. and K. L. Garrett. (2011). “Non-countable” exotic birds in the ABA area. Birding no. September:46-58. Close , Pranty and Ponzo 2014 Pranty, B. and V. Ponzo. (2014). Status and distribution of Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in Southeastern Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 42 (3):91-107. Close , Callaghan and Brooks 2016 Callaghan, C. T. and D. M. Brooks. (2016). Ecology, behavior, and reproduction of invasive Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in Texas. Bulletin of the Texas Ornithological Society 49:37-45. Close ), with smaller populations occurring in several other states (Smith and James 2012 Smith, K. G. and D. A. James. (2012). History and current status of Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) in northwestern Arkansas. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 66:200-204. Close , Chesbro 2015 Chesbro, C. R. (2015). Distribution of the Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) in northwestern Arkansas and in the United States of America, Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR. Close ). Little is known about the life history of the Egyptian Goose in North America. Citizen science data were used to study Egyptian Goose behavior, habitat selection, and reproduction (Callaghan and Brooks 2016 Callaghan, C. T. and D. M. Brooks. (2016). Ecology, behavior, and reproduction of invasive Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in Texas. Bulletin of the Texas Ornithological Society 49:37-45. Close ), while other studies have collected reports of reproduction from local birders in Florida (Pranty and Ponzo 2014 Pranty, B. and V. Ponzo. (2014). Status and distribution of Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in Southeastern Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 42 (3):91-107. Close ). The majority of information in this account relies on studies of life history from Africa, with the assumption that many aspects remain the same in North America. In light of this, formal studies that investigate the ecology of the Egyptian Goose and its impacts on the environment are badly needed in North America.