African Pygmy Goose

About the African pygmy goose

The African pygmy goose is a perching duck from sub-Saharan Africa and is the smallest of Africa's waterfowl, and one of the smallest waterfowl anywhere. Despite the name, it isn't a true goose: its short bill extends up the forehead in a way that superficially resembles one, but the bird is more closely related to dabbling ducks and other species called "ducks." The genus name Nettapus comes from the Ancient Greek for "duck" and "foot," reflecting an old assumption that the bird combined the feet and body of a duck with the neck of a goose.

Males and females look markedly different. Males have a white face with black eye patches, an iridescent black crown running down the back of the neck, and powder-green ear patches. The upper foreneck is white, forming an open collar, while the lower neck and breast are light chestnut, deepening to a more intense chestnut on the flanks; the back is metallic green, and the sixteen tail feathers are black. The wings are black with metallic green iridescence on the coverts, apart from a white bar on the outer secondary feathers, and the belly is white. The bill is yellow with a black tip, the feet dark gray to black, and the iris reddish brown. Females are duller: a gray face with a dark brown eye stripe, smudged brown cheek and nape patches, a dark brown crown and neck with slight iridescence, dark chestnut breast and flanks, and a dark brown back. Ducklings resemble the adult female's face pattern in black and white, with a black V-shaped crown marking, white rump and flanks, and a black back and tail.

The species was first described by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, in 1785, though the binomial name Anas aurita was coined by Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert in 1783, with Madagascar as the type locality. The current genus, Nettapus, was established by German naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt in 1836. It is a monotypic species, meaning no subspecies are recognized.

Behavior and diet

The African pygmy goose feeds mainly on the seeds of water lilies, along with other floating seeds and small insects and invertebrates. It is known to be nomadic, moving across its range rather than staying fixed in one place, and it favors habitats with water lily cover — slow or stagnant water in inland wetlands, open swamps, farm dams, river pools, and estuaries.

Pairs form strong bonds that can last across several breeding seasons, and breeding is triggered by rainfall. In captivity, successful breeding is rare, which is notable given how often the species is kept in zoo collections.

Range and habitat

The African pygmy goose ranges widely across sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, wherever slow-moving or still water is covered with water lilies. It is one of the species covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), an international treaty aimed at protecting migratory waterbird populations and their habitats.

Conservation status

The African pygmy goose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, based on a 2016 assessment by BirdLife International. The category means the species is not currently considered at risk of extinction across its wide range in sub-Saharan Africa.

It ranges across sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, using slow-moving or still water with water lily cover, from inland swamps and river pools to farm dams and estuaries.