# Magpie goose (*Anseranas semipalmata*)

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

The magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anseranatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 2.4 kg and a wingspan of 1.5 m, ranging from 1.25 to 1.8 m. This terrestrial, partially migratory omnivore lives in wetland habitat, and checklists record it in Australia. It lays one clutch of 8 eggs per year, incubates them for 25 days, and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.07 kg – 2.77 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1.25 m – 1.8 m |
| Lifespan | 29.5 years |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 32 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 25 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 7.4 – 8 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years – 4 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anseranatidae
- genus: Anseranas
- species: *Anseranas semipalmata* (Latham, 1798)

Synonyms: *Anas melanoleuca*, *Anas semipalmata*, *Anseranas melanoleuca*, *Anseranas semipalmata hamiltoni*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Australia

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the magpie goose?

The magpie goose is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup. It belongs to the family Anseranatidae in the order Anseriformes.

### How heavy is the magpie goose?

An adult Magpie goose weighs 2.4 kg, with reported values from 2.07 to 2.77 kg.

### What does the magpie goose eat?

The magpie goose is an omnivore.

### Which countries is the magpie goose recorded in?

Checklists record the magpie goose in Australia, where it lives in wetland habitat.

### Is the magpie goose endangered?

No. The magpie goose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the magpie goose live?

The magpie goose has a lifespan of 29.5 years, and values up to 32 years are reported.

### How many eggs does the magpie goose lay?

The magpie goose lays 8 eggs per clutch and has one clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 25 days.

### Who named the magpie goose?

The magpie goose, Anseranas semipalmata, was named by (Latham, 1798).

## 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: Magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/magpie-goose