Greylag goose

Anser anser

Group: Waterfowl
Size class: Small (under 10 kg)
Family: Anatidae

Range

Europe
Asia

Habitat

Farmland
Wetland

Range

Countries it is found in

91 countries

Afghanistan
Åland Islands
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bhutan
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bulgaria
China
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Egypt
Estonia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands

Range from:Wikipedia country bird lists, GBIF occurrence records — read 2026-08-05

Chapter 01

Overview

The greylag goose (Anser anser) is a large goose and the type species of the genus Anser. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage, an orange beak and pink legs, measures 74 to 91 cm and averages 3.3 kg. Its distribution is widespread. Linnaeus described it in 1758, placing it with the ducks as Anas anser; the epithet is simply Latin for goose. It is now one of eleven geese in the genus Anser.

Chapter 02

Identification

The largest and bulkiest of the grey geese of the genus Anser, though more lightly built and more agile than its domestic descendant. The body is rotund and bulky, the neck thick and long, the head and bill large. Legs and feet are pink, and the bill orange or pink with a white or brown nail — the hard horny tip of the upper mandible. Length is 74 to 91 cm.

Chapter 03

Behaviour

Greylags are largely herbivorous and feed chiefly on grasses. Short, actively growing grass is the more nutritious, which is why they are so often found grazing in pasture alongside sheep or cattle. Because grass is a poor food, they have to spend much of their time feeding: the herbage passes rapidly through the gut and is voided frequently. The tubers of sea clubrush are also taken.

On the table

Meat & cooking

Table grade 5 of 55/5

Sold as meat in a legal market
Has a named traditional dish
Published way to handle and cook it
Eaten in more than one country
No known health advisory

Traditional preparations

Roast goose: Wild goose is roasted whole or the breast taken off and cooked rare; the bird is far leaner than a farmed goose and dries out quickly. Roast goose — Wikipedia
Confit and rillettes: Legs and tougher cuts are traditionally preserved in fat, which suits a bird that has flown a long way. Confit — Wikipedia

Sources

Sources: Greylag goose — Wikipedia — read 2026-08-05

Branta canadensis

Same subfamily (Anserinae)

North AmericaEurope