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Kurt Kotrschal - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Parental behaviour and family proximity as key to gosling survival in Greylag Geese (Anser Anser).
Journal of Ornithology, 2019Co-Authors: Georgine Szipl, Kurt Kotrschal, Josef Hemetsberger, Claudia A. F. Wascher, Alina Loth, Didone FrigerioAbstract:Reproductive success in monogamous species is generally affected by both behavioural and hormonal fine-tuning between pair partners. Vigilance, defence and brooding of offspring are among the main parental investments, and often the sexes adopt different roles. In the present study, we investigate how sex differences in parental behaviour and family proximity in the socially monogamous Greylag Goose (Anser Anser) affect gosling survival. During the reproductive season in spring 2013, we recorded the behaviour of 18 pairs with offspring and gosling survival in a semi-tame, long-term monitored, and individually marked flock of Greylag Geese in Grunau, Austria. We found that behavioural role differentiation between the parents varied with developmental phase, and thus with gosling age. Especially during the first 10 days after hatching, females were foraging more frequently than males, which were more vigilant and aggressive towards other flock members. Such differences between the sexes levelled out 20 to 30 days after hatching. In general, females stayed in closer proximity to their offspring than males. Gosling survival was high when the parents were relatively aggressive and emphasized vigilance rather than foraging behaviour. Hence, we show a direct link between pair partners’ quality of parental investment and gosling survival.
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Social context modulates digestive efficiency in greylag geese (Anser Anser).
Scientific Reports, 2018Co-Authors: Didone Frigerio, Kurt Kotrschal, Carla Fabro, Verena Puehringer-sturmayr, Lara Iaiza, Josef Hemetsberger, Federico Mason, Chiara Sarnataro, Stefano FilacordaAbstract:In group-living animals, social context is known to modulate physiology, behaviour and reproductive output as well as foraging and nutritional strategies. Here we investigate the digestive efficiency of 38 individuals belonging to different social categories of a semi-feral and individually marked flock of greylag geese (Anser Anser). During 9 consecutive days in winter 2017, when the ground was fully covered with snow (i.e. no grass or other natural forage available) and the accessible food was standardized, 184 individual droppings were collected and analysed to estimate the apparent digestibility of organic matter (ADOM). Lignin was used as an indigestible internal marker in the food and droppings. The digestive efficiency was higher in pairs with offspring as compared to pairs without offspring or unpaired birds. Furthermore, individuals with high ADOM were more likely to breed successfully in the following season than those with low ADOM. Our findings demonstrate that social status modulates digestive efficiency, probably via a chain of physiological mechanisms including a dampened stress response in individuals enjoying stable social relationships with and social support by their family members (i.e. their own pair-partner and offspring). Our findings underline the importance of the social network in modulating physiology, such as digestive efficiency, and ultimately reproductive success.
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Leucocyte profiles and family size in fledgling greylag geese (Anser Anser)
Avian Biology Research, 2017Co-Authors: Claudia A. F. Wascher, Josef Hemetsberger, Kurt Kotrschal, Didone FrigerioAbstract:In precocial species large brood sizes are usually considered as beneficial and individuals in larger broods grow faster and are more dominant compared to individuals in small broods. However, little is known whether family size also beneficially affects the offspring’s physiology. In the present study we investigated whether leucocyte profiles in fledgling greylag geese (Anser Anser) are affected by (1) family size, (2) individual characteristics, i.e. age, body condition or sex, or (3) characteristics of the parents, i.e. previous reproductive success. From spring 2013 to fall 2015, we collected blood samples from 100 juvenile greylag geese from 20 different pairs. From these samples we determined the absolute leucocyte number, an individual’s differential blood cells count and an individual’s haematocrit (HCT). The number of fledglings in a family and therefore the number of siblings a focal individual had, was positively related to the percentage of basophils, negatively to the heterophils/lymphocytes ratio (H/L), and tended to be negatively related to the percentage of monocytes and eosinophils in a sample. H/L ratio was negatively related to age in days and tended to be negatively related to body condition, whereas the percentage of basophils tended to be positively related to it. Absolute leucocyte number did not differ between individuals depending on family size. However, composition of different leucocyte types (basophils, eosinophils, H/L ratio) was modulated mostly by the social environment (family size) and not by the characteristics of the individual or the parents. In conclusion, even though we did not find clear evidence of a positive health effect, i.e. a better immune system, in fledgling greylag geese of large versus small families, our results suggest that family size modulates different components of the immune system hinting at its stress-reducing effect.
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A longitudinal study of dominance and aggression in greylag geese (Anser Anser)
Behavioral Ecology, 2011Co-Authors: Brigitte M. Weiß, Kurt Kotrschal, Katharina FoersterAbstract:A variety of factors are known to affect dominance and aggression in social vertebrates. In the present study, we used a long-term data set on greylag geese (Anser Anser) to investigate the complex relationships between individual life histories, the social environment, and dominance-related behaviors. We applied a multifactorial approach to assess the relative importance of factors in different life-history stages. Previous studies in geese documented effects of sex and social status and achieved differing results for the effects of family size, age, and body weight on dominance and aggression. Extrinsic factors like season or flock structure were generally not considered. Our analyses showed that a considerable number of factors related to individual life histories, season, and the social environment affected dominance and aggression in greylag geese, but not all significant effects were necessarily strong effects. Pronounced effects on aggression rates were caused by the flock's sex ratio, parental effects, individual social status, and sex. Whether individuals interacted with the same opponents repeatedly was influenced most by parental effects and the sex ratio, whereas the strongest determinants of dominance rank were parental effects and social status. Hence, dominance behaviors may not only be influenced by intrinsic factors but also by season and an individual's social environment. Furthermore, our study indicates that optimal choices for achieving or maintaining a high dominance rank may vary considerably between life-history stages. This highlights the value of long-term studies and multifactorial approaches for understanding the complexities of dominance relationships in social vertebrates. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.
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Heart rate responses to induced challenge situations in greylag geese (Anser Anser).
Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2011Co-Authors: Claudia A. F. Wascher, Isabella B. R. Scheiber, Anna Braun, Kurt KotrschalAbstract:Adequate short-term responses to stressors are of great importance for the health and well-being of individuals and factors modulating the physiological stress response (e.g., controllability, suddenness, familiarity) of a stimulus are well described under laboratory conditions. In the present study we aimed at investigating the stress response in greylag geese (Anser Anser) in the field, confronting individuals with naturally occurring stressors. We measured beat-to-beat heart rate (HR) via fully implanted transmitters during three different experimental challenges: (1) catching and holding, (2) confrontation with a model predator, and (3) approach by different humans. We compared this to a control period and HR during agonistic encounters, a naturally occurring stressor. All three experimental situations evoked a HR increase. Highest HR responses were elicited by catching and holding the animals. In the third experiment, HR responses were greatest when the geese were approached by a human stranger (i.e., somebody the geese have never seen before). Hence, geese discriminated between different kinds of stressors and adjusted their physiological response depending on the type of stressor. Our results show that geese were able to discriminate between individual humans. In line with a number of lab studies, we suggest that particularly the controllability of certain situation determines the intensity of the HR response, also in a natural setting in the field.
Leif Nilsson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The establishment of a new major moulting site for Greylag Geese Anser Anser at Lake Hornborgasjön, southern Sweden
2019Co-Authors: Leif Nilsson, Clas HermanssonAbstract:At around 1900, Lake Hornborga in southern Sweden was considered to be one of the best breeding lakes for waterbirds in the country. In subsequent years, the area was drained and lake water levels reduced to avoid flooding and obtain land for farming. By 1950, the remaining lake and wetland area (34 km2) had become a swamp, totally overgrown with reed beds and bushes. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency initiated a lake restoration project during the 1960s and 1970s and by 1995 the site had been restored to a shallow lake. Greylag Geese Anser Anser started using the lake for breeding and moulting shortly thereafter, and it has attracted increasing numbers of moult migrants over the last 15 years, with 28,000 moulting geese counted in 2015. Neck-banding and collar resightings during 2004–2007 showed that the lake attracted geese not only from south Sweden and Denmark but also from eastern continental Europe (e.g. Poland) to moult. Seventy-two Greylag Geese marked at a study area in Scania, southwest Sweden, have been seen moulting at Lake Hornborgasjon, whereas geese from this area formerly moulted mainly in Flevoland in the Netherlands and later in Denmark. Individual birds from other areas were also shown to have changed their moulting sites in recent years.
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Lifetime reproductive success of Greylag Geese Anser Anser breeding in south Sweden
Ornis Svecica, 2018Co-Authors: Leif Nilsson, Hakon Kampe-perssonAbstract:During 1984–2009, 664 adults and 1,944 goslings of Greylag Geese Anser Anser were neck-banded in south-west Scania, Sweden. After hatching the area was careful-ly searched for marked geese, giving more than 100,000 re-sightings. Of those marked as goslings 71% survived the first year, 52% the second year, and the oldest bird recorded was 25 years. About 50% of the survivors were recruited into the breeding population when two to three years old. Of 1,187 geese that survived for at least two years, 25% produced at least one brood of small young, and 18% at least one fledged young. The maximum lifetime number of broods with fledged young was nine, but 50% of the geese known to have bred successfully pro- duced only one brood of fledged young. Ten percent of the geese seen with small goslings produced 47% of all fledged young. The maximum number of fledged young for a goose of known age was 32 (age 15 years), but two geese marked as adults and followed for 16 and 17 years produced 40 fledglings each.
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Changes in abundance and breeding output of Greylag Geese Anser Anser breeding in southern Sweden
2018Co-Authors: Leif NilssonAbstract:Neck-banded Greylag Geese Anser Anser from a population breeding in southwest Scania, southern Sweden, were studied to assess changes in the breeding population and breeding performance during 1984–2013. The population increased ten-fold during this period, only to decrease again in the later years of the study. Greylag Geese arrived on the breeding grounds about 3–4 weeks earlier by 2007–2009 compared to the 1980s, probably an effect of wintering further north closer to the breeding areas in more recent years. Mean hatch date did not advance significantly over the same period. The proportion of breeding Greylag Geese that produced a brood of small young decreased during the study. On the other hand, the mean brood size at hatching for those succeeding in producing a brood, and the survival of young to fledging amongst marked families, showed no significant trends.
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Changes in migration and wintering patterns of Greylag Geese Anser Anser from southernmost Sweden during three decades
Ornis Svecica, 2018Co-Authors: Leif Nilsson, Hakon Kampe-perssonAbstract:The recent increase of the Greylag Goose Anser Anser population has caused complaints about crop damage. In response to this, the Nordic Collegium for Wildlife Research started a neck-banding program to elucidate the migration and movement patterns. During 1984–2009, 2,639 Greylag Geese were marked in a breeding area in SW Scania, southernmost Sweden. Up to and including 2012, 15,296 re-sightings were reported from outside the breeding area (in addition to more than 100 000 from the breeding area). In the early years of the study, the majority of the geese migrated to winter in southernmost Spain, staging in The Netherlands. In later years, hardly any individuals migrated to Spain, the majority staying in The Netherlands with an increasing proportion wintering in southern Sweden. From 1986 to 2017, the mean latitude for re-sightings changed ten degrees to the north. About 13% of the geese changed winter quarters between two consecutive winters. Moreover, the southward migration occurred much later in the autumn and the geese returned to the breeding areas about one month earlier in spring.
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Migration of Greylag Geese Anser Anser according to recoveries of birds marked with traditional leg-rings in Sweden
Ornis Svecica, 2017Co-Authors: Leif NilssonAbstract:Traditional recoveries of ringed Greylag Geese Anser Anser from different regions in Sweden have been analyzed to compare the migration patterns from a number of different areas. During the years up to and including 2012, 7210 Greylag Geese were marked with metal rings from the Swedish Ringing Centre, yielding 1398 recoveries. After exclusion of local recoveries in the ringing area, 924 recoveries were used in the present analysis. The majority of recoveries were from the Western European flyway along the Atlantic coast but some Greylag Geese marked in the province of Sodermanland migrated south through Eastern Europe even reaching Northern Africa. A number of records of Greylag Geese marked during the moult on Gotland were probably recruited from Eastern Europe. Later about 25% of these birds migrated south through central Europe. In general, the geese marked in different parts of the country showed the same migration patterns as geese neck-banded in SW Scania and Sodermanland. (Less)
Arne Follestad - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Migratory flights and local wintering movements of Greylag Geese Anser Anser in western Europe
Bird Study, 2019Co-Authors: Mathieu Boos, Anna P. Nesterova, Damien Chevallier, Arne FollestadAbstract:ABSTRACTThe local and migratory movements of Greylag Geese Anser Anser wintering in southwest and northwest Europe were revealed with global positioning system tracking. Geese in the southwest had ...
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Migratory flights and local wintering movements of Greylag Geese Anser Anser in western Europe
Bird Study, 2019Co-Authors: Mathieu Boos, Anna P. Nesterova, Damien Chevallier, Arne FollestadAbstract:The local and migratory movements of Greylag Geese Anser Anser wintering in southwest and northwest Europe were revealed with global positioning system tracking. Geese in the southwest had smaller home ranges than those from the northwest, and birds also moved large distances over wintering grounds and showed flexibility in the annual choice of wintering sites.
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Temporal changes in spring migration phenology in the Norwegian Greylag Goose Anser Anser, 1971-2004
2013Co-Authors: Pierre A Pistrorius, Arne Follestad, Frances E. TaylorAbstract:During spring, Greylag Geese Anser Anser migrate from staging grounds in the Netherlands to breeding sites in Norway. The timing of this migration is critical as it corresponds to the most energetically expensive period in the birds’ seasonal cycle, and governs the time available for breeding during the short northern summer. This paper reports how the spring migration and the subsequent breeding season of Greylag Geese nesting in Norway have gradually become earlier since 1971, by about 5–7 days per decade up to 2004. First arrival date, median arrival date and fi rst hatching date at the most important breeding site in Norway were inversely related to spring temperatures in the Netherlands, suggesting that this trend may be a function of climate change.
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France as a staging and wintering area for Greylag Geese Anser Anser
2013Co-Authors: Leif Nilsson, Arne Follestad, Matthieu Guillemain, Vincent Schricke, Berend VoslamberAbstract:France is traditionally a staging area for Greylag Geese Anser Anser migrating from northwest Europe to wintering sites in Spain, though increasing numbers have wintered in France over the last three decades. This paper considers sightings within France of neck-banded individuals marked elsewhere in Europe since the 1980s, to determine the origin of Greylag Geese staging and now wintering in the country. The geese included in this study were all caught in summer during the annual moult, either as family groups or in non-breeding flocks. Most sightings of neck-banded geese were from western France, and most birds identified were from breeding areas in the Nordic countries or to a lesser extent in the Netherlands. The Lac du Der area in northeast France was found to be a wintering area for an introduced population of Greylags established southwest of Stockholm in Sweden, and the geese wintering on the Camargue in southern France were recruited mainly from central Europe. Numbers wintering in France have increased in line with the general increase in the European Greylag Goose population, whereas numbers on passage in France have not increased in the same way, possibly due to a northward shift in the winter distribution of Greylags across Europe. The numbers wintering in France are, however, still small compared to other areas along the flyway.
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A demographic comparison of two Nordic populations of Greylag Geese Anser Anser
Ibis, 2007Co-Authors: Pierre A. Pistorius, Arne Follestad, Leif Nilsson, Frances E. TaylorAbstract:Greylag Geese Anser Anser have been neck-banded on an annual basis in Scania, southern Sweden since 1984 and in Norway since 1986 as part of a Nordic Greylag project. This has yielded a large database of resightings, which we used here to estimate and compare survival rates between the two populations by means of mark-recapture models. Estimated adult survival was sex-dependent in the Scanian population, probably a result of differential neck band retention rates in this population. Mean juvenile survival was about 12% higher in the Scanian population (0.603 vs. 0.485). Adult survival in the Norwegian population was 0.728 (males 0.733; females 0.725), and in males and females from the Scanian population was 0.711 (0.752 after accounting for higher neck band loss in males) and 0.771, respectively. Over the course of the study, juvenile survival in the Scanian population increased substantially, and adult survival was constant, whereas both these parameters declined in the Norwegian population. This study demonstrates that the two Nordic populations are demographically distinct and gives further support to the notion that they should be treated as separate management units. The decline of 10% in adult survival in the Norwegian population, the cause of which still remains uncertain, is likely to have had a major impact on the growth of this population.
Isabella B. R. Scheiber - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Stress assessment in captive greylag geese (Anser Anser)1
Journal of Animal Science, 2015Co-Authors: Isabella B. R. Scheiber, Marlijn Sterenborg, Jan KomdeurAbstract:Chronic stress—or, more appropri- ately, "allostatic overload"—may be physiologically harmful and can cause death in the most severe cases. Animals in captivity are thought to be particularly vulnerable to allostatic overload due to artificial housing and group makeup. Here we attempted to determine if captive greylag geese (Anser Anser), housed lifelong in captivity, showed elevated lev- els of immunoreactive corticosterone metabolites (CORT) and ectoparasites in dropping samples as well as some hematological parameters (hemato- crit, packed cell volume, total white blood cell count (TWBC), and heterophil:lymphocyte ratio (H:L)). All of these have been measured as indicators of chronic stress. Furthermore, we correlated the various stress parameters within individuals. Captive geese showed elevated values of CORT and ectoparasites relative to a wild population sampled in the vicinity of the area where the captive flock is held. The elevated levels, however, were by no means at a pathological level and fall well into the range of other published values in wild greylag geese. We found no correla- tions between any of the variables measured from droppings with any of the ones collected from blood. Among the blood parameters, only the H:L negative- ly correlated with TWBC. We examine the problem of inferring allostatic overload when measuring only 1 stress parameter, as there is no consistency between various measurements taken. We discuss the different aspects of each of the parameters measured and the extensive individual variation in response to stress as well as the timing at which different systems respond to a stressor and what is actually measured at the time of data collection. We conclude that measuring only 1 stress parameter often is insufficient to evalu- ate the well-being of both wild and captively housed animals and that collecting behavioral data on stress might be a suitable addition.
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Early development of gaze following into distant space in juvenile Greylag geese (Anser Anser)
Animal Cognition, 2011Co-Authors: Sophia Kehmeier, Isabella B. R. Scheiber, Christian Schloegl, Brigitte M. WeißAbstract:Visual co-orientation with another’s gaze direction (gaze following) may provide important information about the location of food, social interactions or predators. Gaze following has been shown in a variety of mammals, but only in few bird species, and has not been tested in precocial birds at all. It has been suggested that gaze following is an anti-predator behaviour, and in Common ravens ( Corvus corax ) and rooks ( C. frugilegus ), it emerges shortly after fledging, at a time when young birds leave the predator-safe nest. However, if gaze following is adaptive, the developmental pattern should differ between altricial and precocial birds. Greylag geese ( Anser Anser ) are highly social birds with a precocial development. Goslings move and feed independently within 24 h post-hatching, and they are highly vulnerable to aerial predators. We therefore predicted that greylag geese are capable of gaze following and that they develop this skill already pre-fledging. We experimentally tested 19 hand-raised greylag goslings for their ability to follow a conspecific’s gaze when they were between 10 days and 6 weeks old. In line with our predictions, first responses were already detectable in 10-day-old goslings. Our results therefore not only demonstrate that greylag geese follow the gaze of conspecifics into distant space, but that they also develop this ability much earlier than altricial birds.
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Heart rate responses to induced challenge situations in greylag geese (Anser Anser).
Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2011Co-Authors: Claudia A. F. Wascher, Isabella B. R. Scheiber, Anna Braun, Kurt KotrschalAbstract:Adequate short-term responses to stressors are of great importance for the health and well-being of individuals and factors modulating the physiological stress response (e.g., controllability, suddenness, familiarity) of a stimulus are well described under laboratory conditions. In the present study we aimed at investigating the stress response in greylag geese (Anser Anser) in the field, confronting individuals with naturally occurring stressors. We measured beat-to-beat heart rate (HR) via fully implanted transmitters during three different experimental challenges: (1) catching and holding, (2) confrontation with a model predator, and (3) approach by different humans. We compared this to a control period and HR during agonistic encounters, a naturally occurring stressor. All three experimental situations evoked a HR increase. Highest HR responses were elicited by catching and holding the animals. In the third experiment, HR responses were greatest when the geese were approached by a human stranger (i.e., somebody the geese have never seen before). Hence, geese discriminated between different kinds of stressors and adjusted their physiological response depending on the type of stressor. Our results show that geese were able to discriminate between individual humans. In line with a number of lab studies, we suggest that particularly the controllability of certain situation determines the intensity of the HR response, also in a natural setting in the field.
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sampling effort frequency necessary to infer individual acute stress responses from fecal analysis in greylag geese Anser Anser
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2005Co-Authors: Isabella B. R. Scheiber, Simona Kralj, Kurt KotrschalAbstract:Measuring hormone metabolites from excreta is a powerful method to study hormone-behavior relationships. Currently, fecal corticosterone metabolite concentrations are used to estimate individual short-term stress responses. From the free-roaming, semitame flock of greylag geese (Anser Anser), as many fecal samples as possible were collected over 3 h following a challenge (social density stress) or in a control situation. This time span corresponds to the gut passage time of geese. It was asked how many samples were necessary to determine differences in excreted corticosterone immunoreactive metabolites (CORTs) between control and social density stress and which parameters (means, maxima, range) reliably showed this difference. A large variation of CORT was found between consecutive samples. Still, means, maxima, and ranges of the samples in a fecal series consistently showed the response to a stressor both within and between individuals. Three samples sufficed if the maximum value of CORT was used, whereas four or more samples were necessary to work with the mean. It was concluded that by increasing the number of fecal samples collected, the course of CORT could be measured more precisely and an individual's acute stress response inferred more reliably.
Hakon Kampe-persson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Lifetime reproductive success of Greylag Geese Anser Anser breeding in south Sweden
Ornis Svecica, 2018Co-Authors: Leif Nilsson, Hakon Kampe-perssonAbstract:During 1984–2009, 664 adults and 1,944 goslings of Greylag Geese Anser Anser were neck-banded in south-west Scania, Sweden. After hatching the area was careful-ly searched for marked geese, giving more than 100,000 re-sightings. Of those marked as goslings 71% survived the first year, 52% the second year, and the oldest bird recorded was 25 years. About 50% of the survivors were recruited into the breeding population when two to three years old. Of 1,187 geese that survived for at least two years, 25% produced at least one brood of small young, and 18% at least one fledged young. The maximum lifetime number of broods with fledged young was nine, but 50% of the geese known to have bred successfully pro- duced only one brood of fledged young. Ten percent of the geese seen with small goslings produced 47% of all fledged young. The maximum number of fledged young for a goose of known age was 32 (age 15 years), but two geese marked as adults and followed for 16 and 17 years produced 40 fledglings each.
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Changes in migration and wintering patterns of Greylag Geese Anser Anser from southernmost Sweden during three decades
Ornis Svecica, 2018Co-Authors: Leif Nilsson, Hakon Kampe-perssonAbstract:The recent increase of the Greylag Goose Anser Anser population has caused complaints about crop damage. In response to this, the Nordic Collegium for Wildlife Research started a neck-banding program to elucidate the migration and movement patterns. During 1984–2009, 2,639 Greylag Geese were marked in a breeding area in SW Scania, southernmost Sweden. Up to and including 2012, 15,296 re-sightings were reported from outside the breeding area (in addition to more than 100 000 from the breeding area). In the early years of the study, the majority of the geese migrated to winter in southernmost Spain, staging in The Netherlands. In later years, hardly any individuals migrated to Spain, the majority staying in The Netherlands with an increasing proportion wintering in southern Sweden. From 1986 to 2017, the mean latitude for re-sightings changed ten degrees to the north. About 13% of the geese changed winter quarters between two consecutive winters. Moreover, the southward migration occurred much later in the autumn and the geese returned to the breeding areas about one month earlier in spring.
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Lokala rörelser av grågäss Anser Anser i södra Sverige utanför häckningstiden
2017Co-Authors: Leif Nilsson, Hakon Kampe-perssonAbstract:During 1984–2009, Greylag Geese Anser Anser were neck-banded at two lakes six kilometres apart in southwest Scania, southernmost Sweden: 2308 at lake Yddingen and 633 at Klosterviken (part of lake Bor-ringe). Through 2013 we recorded 51 132 and 29 937 re-sightings, respectively. We analyse the distribution patterns within Scania during the post-breeding months July–March. In spite of the short distance between the breeding sites, marked differences in the local distributions were found. In late summer and early autumn, Greylags from Klosterviken stayed longer inland close to the breeding lake than geese from Yddingen, the availability of good inland feeding sites close to Klosterviken explained the difference. In late autumn, when many resightings were made along the western coast, it seemed that the distance from the breeding lake explained some of the differences, geese from Yddingen dominated in the northern part, whereas geese from Klosterviken were found further south. There was also a time difference in that the birds from Yddingen moved to the coast earlier than those from Klosterviken. (Less)
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Local movements of Greylag Geese Anser Anser in South Sweden during the non-breeding season
Ornis Svecica, 2017Co-Authors: Leif Nilsson, Hakon Kampe-perssonAbstract:During 1984–2009, Greylag Geese Anser Anser were neck-banded at two lakes six kilometres apart in south-west Scania, southernmost Sweden: 2,308 at lake Yddingen and 633 at Klosterviken (part of lake Borringe). Through 2013 we recorded 51,132 and 29,937 resightings, respectively. We analyse the distribution patterns within Scania during the post-breeding months July–March. In spite of the short distance between the breeding sites, marked differences in the local distributions were found. In late summer and early autumn, Greylags from Klosterviken stayed longer inland close to the breeding lake than geese from Yddingen, the availability of good inland feeding sites close to Klosterviken explained the difference. In late autumn, when many resightings were made along the western coast, it seemed that the distance from the breeding lake explained some of the differences, geese from Yddingen dominated in the northern part, whereas geese from Klosterviken were found further south. There was also a time difference in that the birds from Yddingen moved to the coast earlier than those from Klosterviken.
