- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold swan 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 swan goose
The swan goose is a large, long-necked goose that breeds in inland Mongolia, northeast China and the Russian Far East and winters mainly in central and eastern China. Adults are greyish brown with a maroon cap and hindneck, and it is the only Anser goose with a completely black bill. It grazes on sedges, grasses and water plants near freshwater, and gathers in small flocks outside the breeding season. Pairs nest on the ground near marshes, laying five or six eggs that hatch after about 28 days. The wild form is uncommon, but domesticated descendants are widespread as the Chinese goose.
Swan Goose facts
- It is the longest goose in the genus Anser, with a wingspan of 160 to 185 cm.
- Domestic Chinese and African geese descend directly from the swan goose, possibly domesticated in China since around 1000 BC.
- Charles Darwin noted that Chinese geese hybridise with common geese and that the offspring can breed.
- Roughly 60,000 swan geese may winter around the lower Yangtze River, possibly almost the whole world population.
Where to see swan goose in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 2 zoos holding swan 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 swan goose but has no coordinates on file yet, so it isn't ranked here. It's in the full list below.
Connecticut· 1
Illinois· 1
Missouri· 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.
