The
magpie goose (
Anseranas semipalmata) is a species of waterfowl found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. The only living species of the family
Anseranatidae, it inhabits open wetlands and is not truly
migratory, although it sometimes travels long distances to find food and water. The magpie goose has black-and-white plumage in both sexes, with a long neck and legs and a long hooked bill, and is typically 75 to 90 centimetres (30 to 35
in) long. It feeds on vegetation, both in water and on land, and breeds colonially, often forming large flocks and laying five to fourteen eggs. Populations remain plentiful overall, although reduced from their historical range. The species was formerly widespread in southern Australia but declined there after wetlands used for breeding were drained. The magpie goose is important to
Aboriginal Australians as a seasonal food source and for recreational hunting and tourism. This pair of magpie geese was photographed at
East Point, a suburb of
Darwin in the
Northern Territory, Australia.
Photograph credit: JJ Harrison
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