# Greylag goose (*Anser anser*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/greylag-goose  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.11 kg – 3.69 kg |
| Length | 74 cm – 91 cm |
| Wingspan | 1.55 m |
| Lifespan | 26 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 31 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 27.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5 |
| Age at maturity | 3 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Anser
- species: *Anser anser* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Anas anser ferus*, *Anser cinereus*, *Anser cinereus*, *Anser ferus*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Greylag goose (Anser anser). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/greylag-goose