Egyptian Goose

The water dancing foul float along the river, lounging and laughing in that typical goose-like laziness. You can only sit at the water's edge and dream of one day having a life as simple as these sun bathing beauties, busy only with watching the clouds and scrounging around for a few underwater morsels. The Egyptian Goose is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. This 63–73 cm long species breeds widely in Africa except in deserts and dense forests, and is locally abundant. They are found mostly in the Nile Valley and south of the Sahara. It has also been introduced elsewhere: Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany have self-sustaining feral populations, the British population dating back to the 18th century, though only formally added to the British list in 1971. In Britain, it is found mainly in East Anglia, in parkland with lakes. It was officially declared a pest in the UK in 2009. This is a largely terrestrial species, which will also perch readily on trees and buildings. It swims well, and in flight looks heavy, more like a goose than a duck, hence the English name. This species will nest in a large variety of situations, especially in holes in mature trees in parkland. The female builds the nest from reeds, leaves and grass, and both parents take turns incubating eggs. Egyptian Geese usually pair for life. This sound uses the following file from Freesound: http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=121143