Food habits of wild geese on the Gulf coast of Texas.

Date

1946

Authors

Glazener, W.C.

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Abstract

The food in the gizzards of 117 geese was separated, measured volumetrically, and identified to furnish quantitative data from birds taken in the area between Corpus Christi and Galveston Bay, Texas, from October to March, 1939-1942. Wintering geese in this area ordinarily have a regular daily feeding schedule, making one trip to the feeding ground in the early morning and another in the late afternoon with a midday rest period at a waterhole. Food material was shown to be entirely of plant origin, including 31 species of flowering plants and algae. More than 66 % of the identified material was of grasses (Graminae). Rice, corn, and grain sorghums were the cultivated crops most commonly and extensively taken, and practically all of this was waste picked from the ground. Saltgrass, water cress, and panic grass were the native species most extensively consumed. Flax and winter truck crops are sometimes eaten by geese to the point that these crops may eventually require protection at times.

Description

p. 322-329.

Keywords

aquatic birds, geese, feeding behavior, diets, food preferences

Citation