WILDLIFE
Cape Barren Goose
Cereopsis novaehollandiae
The Cape Barren goose is a handsome bird about the
same size as a domestic goose. Its plumage is pale grey,
with black markings near the tips of its wing feathers
and tail. It has pink legs and black feet. Its most striking
feature is the bright greenish yellow cere on its short
black bill.
Cape Barren geese live mostly on small, windswept and
generally uninhabited offshore islands, but venture to
adjacent mainland farming areas in search of food in
summer. Their ability to drink salt or brackish water
allows numbers of geese to remain on offshore islands all
year round.
By the 1950s their numbers were so low that biologists
feared they may be close to extinction.Various initiatives
have been taken which have increased the goose
population to a level no longer considered to be in
danger. However, they remain one of the rarest of the
world’s geese.
Distribution
Cape Barren geese are found along the southern coast of
Australia from the islands of the Recherche Archipelago
in Western Australia, Kangaroo Island and the Sir Joseph
Banks Islands of South Australia, the Victorian coastal
islands around Wilsons Promontory, and the islands
of Bass Strait including the Hogan, Kent, Curtis and
Furneaux Groups. A small population is to be found
at Cape Portland in Tasmania, and birds have been
introduced to Maria Island off Tasmania’s southeast coast
and the Hunter group of islands off northwest Tasmania.
Lifestyle
These geese are grazing birds, and eat predominantly
the common island tussock Poa poiformis as well as
spear grass and various herbs and succulents. They also
eat pasture grasses including barley grass and clover.
Geese lay eggs in nests in the tussocks found in the open
grassland areas in which they live. Each pair of geese
establishes a territory in autumn, prepares a nest site and
defends it noisily and determinedly against other geese.
About five eggs are laid and the eggs take about a month
to hatch. The goslings develop rapidly during the winter,
and by the end of spring are able to fly. At this time they
join the flocks of non-breeding geese which have also
Photo: Joe Shemesh
spent the winter on the breeding island. By early summer,
the breeding islands dry off and grass ceases to grow.
There is generally sufficient feed for the breeding birds to
survive the summer, but the non-breeding geese generally
leave these small islands and move to larger islands
nearby mainland areas where they feed on improved
pasture. When the autumn rains come the flocks return
to the breeding islands.
Numbers
There are more Cape Barren geese alive today than
at any time since the settlement of Australia. Early
travellers in Bass Strait saw few geese, today a visitor to
the Furneaux Group of islands can see thousands. An
estimate of the total population throughout Southern
Australia would be 16 - 20 000 birds, and in most areas
the number is rising.
In Tasmania about 14 000 geese are to be found in the
Furneaux Group of islands. Geese have moved to other
Depar tment of Pr imar y Industr ies, Par ks, Water and Environment
Bass Strait islands, and the Tasmanian mainland in recent
years. In 1968, a small number of geese were introduced
to Maria Island. Their numbers have increased steadily, and
in 1995 there were over 100 birds established there.
Management
The breeding islands are the vital habitat for the Cape
Barren geese. In the Furneaux Group, there are seven
major breeding islands. Of these, two are now reserves
being managed specifically for Cape Barren geese, and one
is a Wildlife Sanctuary.
There are many smaller islands on which geese breed
successfully and where the habitat is not threatened.
A similar situation exists in other southern states of
Australia.
The activities of man do not always act to the detriment
of wildlife populations. In some cases the reverse is true,
and wildlife has benefited. In the case of Cape Barren
geese, numbers increased because farmers improved the
quality and quantity of food available in areas where the
geese traditionally breed and shelter.
Since the formation of the Tasmanian National Parks
and Wildlife Service in 1970, an ongoing priority has
been the study and management of the Cape Barren
goose population. The aim has been to keep the goose
population at acceptably high levels while not allowing
increasing numbers to create problems for farmers.
The Cape Barren goose population is large and increasing,
and its habitat is secure. Cape Barren geese at present
cannot be considered endangered.
Contact
Biodiversity Conservation Branch: DPIPWE
134 Macquarie Street, Hobart. 7000
Phone: (03) 6233 6556
Fax: (03) 6233 3477
Photo: Joe Shemesh
Internet: www.parks.tas.gov.au
D ep a r t m e n t o f Pr im ar y In du str ie s, Par k s , Wa t e r a nd Env i r o nm e nt
Ocotober 2010 © State of Tasmania