Geese in the Polder

On a beautiful summer afternoon, the polder is scattered with geese. The chatter of the geese is incessant. They are communicating with each other and their young. The wind rustles through grass, as the birds search for food and clean themselves. A plane can be heard flying overhead.

Geese are waterfowl belonging to the tribe Anserini of the family Anatidae. This tribe comprises the genera Anser (the grey geese), Branta (the black geese) and Chen (the white geese). A number of other birds, mostly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their name. More distantly related members of the Anatidae family are swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller.