- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold bar-headed goose, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the bar-headed goose
The bar-headed goose is a pale grey goose easily recognised by the black bars on its white head. It measures 71 to 76 cm in length and weighs 1.87 to 3.2 kg. It breeds in colonies of thousands near high-altitude mountain lakes in Central Asia, where it grazes on short grass, and winters in South Asia as far south as peninsular India. Each pair lays three to eight eggs in a ground nest. The species is known for migrating across the Himalayas, and is one of the highest-flying birds in the world.
Bar-headed Goose facts
- Its climb over the Himalayas from sea level can be done non-stop in as little as seven hours.
- The geese wait for tail winds to die down overnight, then make the greatest rates of climbing flight ever recorded for a bird.
- One tagged goose reached 7,290 m, but most spent 95% of their time below 5,784 m.
- Most high-altitude flights were recorded at night.
Where to see bar-headed goose in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 2 zoos holding bar-headed goose by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
1 more zoo holds bar-headed goose but has no coordinates on file yet, so it isn't ranked here. It's in the full list below.
Connecticut· 1
Missouri· 1
New York· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
