Greylag goose
Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758)
The greylag goose (Anser anser) is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 3.3 kg, with values from 3.1 to 3.7 kg reported, and a wingspan of 1.55 m.
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Quick facts about the greylag goose
The greylag goose is a migratory, terrestrial herbivore whose habitat is wetland, and its geographic range covers 13,290,000 km². It lays 5 eggs per clutch with 1 clutch per year, incubation lasts 27.5 days, and it is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- Weight
- 3.11 kg – 3.69 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 74 cm – 91 cmsrc for Length
- Wingspan
- 1.55 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 26 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 31 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 27.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 3 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the greylag goose?
Photos of the greylag goose
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the greylag goose live?
Not recorded
What is the greylag goose?
The greylag goose (Anser anser) is a species of large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus Anser. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage and an orange beak and pink legs. A large bird, it measures between 74 and 91 centimetres (29 and 36 in) in length, with an average weight of 3.3 kilograms (7 lb 4 oz). Its distribution is widespread, with birds from the north of its range in Europe and Asia often migrating southwards to spend the winter in warmer places, although many populations are resident, even in the north. It is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic goose, having been domesticated at least as early as 1360 BCE. The genus name and specific epithet are from anser, the Latin for "goose". In the USA, its name has been spelled "graylag".
Greylag geese travel to their northerly breeding grounds in spring, nesting on moorlands, in marshes, around lakes and on coastal islands. They normally mate for life and nest on the ground among vegetation. A clutch of three to five eggs is laid; the female incubates the eggs and both parents defend and rear the young. The birds stay together as a family group, migrating southwards in autumn as part of a flock, and separating the following year. During the winter they occupy semi-aquatic habitats, estuaries, marshes and flooded fields, feeding on grass and often consuming agricultural crops. Some populations, such as those in southern England and in urban areas across the species' range, are primarily resident and occupy the same area year-round.
From the Wikipedia article “Greylag goose” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greylag_goose&oldid=1382810621), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the greylag goose sound like?
Is the greylag goose endangered?
The greylag goose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the greylag goose classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusAnser
- SpeciesAnser anser (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Anas anser ferus, Anser cinereus, Anser cinereus, Anser ferus
Other names and names in other languages (120)
- Domesticated geeseEnglish
- Feral gooseEnglish
- Graylag gooseEnglish
- GreylagEnglish
- Icelandic greylag gooseEnglish
- Naturalised greylag gooseEnglish
- North Scottish greylag gooseEnglish
- GrysgansAfrikaans
- إوز أربدArabic
- إوز رماديArabic
- إوزة ربداءArabic
- اوزة ربداءArabic
- AucaAragonese
- দেওৰাজ হাঁহAssamese
- gansuAsturian
- Boz qazAzerbaijani
- Ала ҡаҙBashkir
- Гусь шэраяBelarusian
- Шэрая гусьBelarusian
- Сива гъскаBulgarian
- মেটে রাজহাঁসBangla
- Gwaz louetBreton
- oca comunaCatalan
- Oca VulgarCatalan
- Moqa aqa ǵazChechen
- Кек комбыMari
- Сӑрӑ хурChuvash
- husa velkáCzech
- gwydd wylltWelsh
- Gŵydd wylltWelsh
- Gwyddau GwylltWelsh
- GansGerman
- GraugansGerman
- WildgansGerman
- ΣταχτόχηναGreek
- griza anseroEsperanto
- Oca comúnSpanish
- Ansar comúnSpanish
- Ánsar comúnSpanish
- GansoSpanish
- Ganso comúnSpanish
- Ganso domésticoSpanish
- roohaniEstonian
- HallhaniEstonian
- hallhani e. roohaniEstonian
- Antzara hankagorriztaBasque
- غاز خاکستریPersian
- merihanhiFinnish
- GrágásFaroese
- Oie cendréeFrench
- Grä gusNorthern Frisian
- Skiere GoesWestern Frisian
- Crann-ghéIrish
- Gé mhór fhionnIrish
- gé ghlasScottish Gaelic
- gèadh glasScottish Gaelic
- Gèadh-glasScottish Gaelic
- geòidh ghlasaScottish Gaelic
- Ganso bravoGalician
- Guiy glassManx
- אווז אפורHebrew
- ग्रेलैग हंसHindi
- siva guskaCroatian
- nyári lúdHungarian
- Մոխրագույն սագArmenian
- GrágæsIcelandic
- Oca grigiaItalian
- oca selvaticaItalian
- ハイイロガンJapanese
- ГубгъуэкъазKabardian
- Сұр қазKazakh
- ಬೂದು ಹೆಬ್ಬಾತುKannada
- 회색기러기Korean
- GothwylsCornish
- GrogänsLuxembourgish
- pilkoji žąsisLithuanian
- meža zossLatvian
- иркомбоMari
- кайыккомбоMari
- KuihiMāori
- дива гускаMacedonian
- Бор галууMongolian
- श्याम कादंबMarathi
- ငန်းမွဲBurmese
- Tó wónaanídę́ę́ʼ naalʼeełítsoh łibáhígííNavajo
- कलहाँसNepali
- grauwe gansDutch
- grågåsNorwegian
- Ganso ComunPapiamento
- Oson chindrèPicard
- gęgawaPolish
- gęś gęgawaPolish
- سونا مگھWestern Panjabi
- ganso-bravoPortuguese
- gâsca de varăRomanian
- gâscă de varăRomanian
- Гусь серыйRussian
- серый гусьRussian
- Сира гускаRusyn
- Бороҥ хаасYakut
- कलहंसSanskrit
- Stibble guissScots
- RánesčuonjáNorthern Sami
- mearračuonjáNorthern Sami
- hus diváSlovak
- siva gosSlovenian
- pata e egërAlbanian
- pata e venditAlbanian
- pata kullasheAlbanian
- Divlja guskaSerbian
- Дивља гускаSerbian
- Соры казTatar
- ห่านเทาปากสีชมพูThai
- boz kazTurkish
- Гуска сіраUkrainian
- Сіра гускаUkrainian
- Bo‘z g‘ozUzbek
- HandrVeps
- Ngỗng xámVietnamese
- 灰雁Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the greylag goose
Other species in the same genus Anser.
Taiga bean goose
Anser fabalis
Bar-headed goose
Anser indicus
Greater white-fronted goose
Anser albifrons
Snow goose
Anser caerulescens
Lesser white-fronted goose
Anser erythropus
Pink-footed goose
Anser brachyrhynchus
CompareGreylag goose vs Taiga bean gooseGreylag goose vs Bar-headed gooseGreylag goose vs Greater white-fronted gooseGreylag goose vs Snow goose
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the greylag goose?
The greylag goose is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup. It belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
How heavy is a greylag goose?
An adult greylag goose has a body mass of 3.3 kg, with reported values from 3.1 to 3.7 kg. Its wingspan is 1.55 m.
What does the greylag goose eat?
The greylag goose is a herbivore.
What habitat does the greylag goose live in?
The greylag goose lives in wetland habitat. It is a migratory bird with a terrestrial lifestyle.
Is the greylag goose endangered?
No. The greylag goose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a greylag goose live?
The greylag goose has a lifespan of 26 years, with values up to 31 years reported.
How many eggs does a greylag goose lay?
The greylag goose lays 5 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year. Incubation lasts 27.5 days, and it reaches sexual maturity at 3 years.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Greylag goose (Anser anser). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/greylag-goose
“Greylag goose (Anser anser).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/greylag-goose.
@misc{greylag_goose_2026,
title = {Greylag goose (Anser anser)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/greylag-goose},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}