Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis)

Cover image of Spur-winged Goose by Ryan Tippett – Carnarvon district, Northern Cape

The Spur-winged Goose belongs to the family ANATIDAE comprising Ducks, Geese, and Swans. They are medium to very large water birds. They have broad, flattened bills with a curved nail at the tip of the upper mandible. They have robust bodies and moderate to very long necks. Their wings are relatively short, narrow and pointed while the tail is generally short. All have short but robust legs that are set far back on the body and fully webbed feet.

Identification

The Spur-winged Goose is a large, conspicuous, and distinctive water bird. It is the largest member of the family Anatidae in southern Africa.

The sexes are quite similar but males are larger than females. Adults are unmistakable. The head, flanks and upperparts are black with a green to violet iridescence, especially on the wings and back. The head and neck feathers are edged in brown. The face, chin, and throat carry varying amounts of white. The underparts are white, narrower on the breast and widening onto the belly and undertail coverts. In flight the wings show white forewings (axillaries, lesser coverts, and underwing coverts) and the flight feathers are glossy black. The amount of white on the wing is variable and is sometimes also visible when the wings are closed. There is also a large and prominent carpal spur on the wing.

The bare skin of the forecrown, forehead, cheeks and eye ring is usually pinkish to red and the cheek skin is variably mottled emerald and turquoise. Males usually have a dull red frontal knob that varies in size. The facial skin and frontal knob become brighter, and the knob becomes more swollen when breeding. Some also have a small bare red or orange patch on the side of the upper neck. The bill is deep pinkish red, and the nail-tip is whitish. The eyes are dark brown and the legs and feet are pink to deep pinkish red.

Females are very similar to the males, but their dark plumage is less iridescent and the bare facial skin is duller and less extensive.

Juveniles and immatures of both sexes lack bare facial skin and frontal knobs. Additionally, the face, neck, and lower body is browner than in adults. They also have no white on the face and less, or none, on the wings and underparts.

The Spur-winged Goose is not likely to be confused for any other species. Its very large size and bold black and white colouration are unmistakable.

Status and Distribution

The Spur-winged Goose is a locally common to very common resident with some local movement in the non-breeding season. It is distributed throughout the Afrotropics, except for the most densely forested parts of central Africa, the Lesotho plateau and the arid south-western parts of southern Africa. It extends northwards across Africa into southern Egypt, but is absent from Madagascar. The Spur-winged Goose is widespread in southern Africa but scarce in the more arid parts of the Northern Cape, southwestern Botswana, and Namibia except for the Caprivi Strip.

The Spur-winged Goose is not threatened. The negative impact of the loss of natural wetlands is largely offset by the benefits of dam-building and as a result may have increased its range into drier regions. It is sometimes regarded as an agricultural pest and has been utilising agricultural crops since the early early 1900s. The damage they cause to crops is occasionally significant but their overall impact is considered negligible.

Habitat

The Spur-winged goose inhabits a range of wetland habitats including floodplains, lakes, dams, pans, marshes, and to a lesser extent rivers and estuaries. They prefer larger inland waterbodies especially dams on which to gather for moulting. The Spur-winged Goose forages in a variety of habitats including dry or flooded grasslands, in the shallow waters of permanent or seasonal water bodies, and commonly in cultivated fields, usually not far from water.

Behaviour

The Spur-winged Goose is generally nomadic in response to rain and the seasonal cultivation of their favoured food crops. They are generally found in pairs or small groups when breeding, but are otherwise highly gregarious and flocks of moulting birds can number up to 2000 birds. The Spur-winged Goose is usually shy and weary. Flies to the nearest water when disturbed, often settling far from shore. Disturbed birds in flightless moult move onto open water and dive if closely approached.

Male Spur-winged Geese may raise their wings in a threat display to reveal the white shoulders and carpal spurs. An attacking male will spread or flaps his wings, often with the mouth agape. The carpal spurs are used for fighting and in self defence. The Spur-winged Goose mostly roosts on dead trees or sometimes on electricity pylons. Flocks fly in staggered lines or sometimes in ‘V- shaped’ echelons, and their wings make a loud ‘swooshing’ sound in flight.

Foraging flights away from wetlands usually take place in the early morning and early evening. They may stay away from wetlands all day and occasionally all night during the wet season, when they may stay at temporary pools.

Most foraging takes place in the morning, evening or at night. On land the Spur-winged Goose grazes plant shoots or pecks at food and scratches for grubs with the bill. In water they submerge the head and neck, or sometimes up-ending, usually after raking the muddy substrate with the feet. They also filter-feed as they move about on the water. Birds in flightless moult sometimes come ashore at night to graze.

The Spur-winged Goose is omnivorous, but the bulk of the diet is made up of plant matter such as rhizomes, corms, leaves, seeds, and algae. They eat the ripe kernels and seedlings of grain crops, including maize, wheat, oats, barley, sorghum, etc. They also eat lucerne and the leaves, stems and tubers of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Peanuts, sunflower seeds, rice and over-ripe fallen fruit are also consumed. Some animal matter is also eaten, including termite alates, bugs, caterpillars, beetles and their larvae, etc. Young Spur-winged Geese are known catch small fish by diving. The Spur-winged Goose also swallows grit to help the gizzard grind up food. They are known to sometimes associate with Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in order to feed on disturbed plant matter and invertebrates.

Breeding data from across southern Africa indicates that the Spur-winged Goose mainly breeds from August to April with a peak between December and March. It generally breeds during the rainy season but egg laying has been recorded in all months. They can be either monogamous or polygynous breeders.

The nest is a hollow on the ground, lined with grass and down feathers, and is built by the female. It is usually located in dense vegetation near water like tall grass, reed clumps or on a termite mound. They sometimes also nest on top of Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius), Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) or African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) nests. On rare occasions they may nest in tree holes, on cliffs or in Aardvark burrows.

The Spur-winged Goose usually lays 6 to 12 eggs, rarely up to 27. Clutches over 12 eggs are probably laid by more than one female. Incubation is done by the female only and lasts for 32 to 36 days. Eggs are laid at 1 day intervals and incubation begins only once the full clutch has been laid. The eggs are covered with down when the female leaves the nest to feed. The vast majority of broods are attended by the female only. Females with small ducklings become very secretive, swimming low on the surface to lead their brood into cover when disturbed. Young birds take anywhere from 85 to 100 days to fledge and stay with the female until at least the following breeding season.

Further Resources

Species text from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Crystelle Wilson, Dave Rimmer, Dieter Oschadleus, Garth Aiston, Gerald Gaigher, Lia Steen, Malcolm Robinson, Rene Navarro and Tino Herselman is acknowledged.

Virtual Museum (BirdPix > Search VM > By Scientific or Common Name).

Other common names: Wildemakou (Afrikaans); iHophe, iHoye (Zulu); lhoye (Xhosa); Sekwagongwana (Tswana); Spoorwiekgans (Dutch); Oie-armée de Gambie (French); Sporengans (German); Pato-ferrão (Portuguese)

A list of bird species in this format is available here.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2025. Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2025/01/10/spur-winged-goose-plectropterus-gambensis/

Bird identification, birding