Upland goose / Magellan goose

Chloephaga picta

Magelhaengans / Magellangans / Bernache de Magellan

The Upland Goose or Magellan Goose is a sheldgoose of the shelduck-sheldgoose subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological familythat includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the geese and swans. Upland geese live in Argentina, Chile, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and are vagrant in Uruguay. They are found in southern temperate grasslands, arid lowland scrubs, pastures and agricultural lands, from sea level up to around 1,500 meters.

This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern (IUCN, 2012).

Above: Upland goose, adult female

Above: Upland goose, adult pair (male left, female right)

Above: Upland goose, adult male

Above: Upland goose, adult male

Above: adult pair of Upland geese, male right.

Above: mating Upland geese