What do Greylag Geese and Bar-headed Geese have in common?

Bar-headed Geese landing at the Najafgarh Lake

Well, apart from the fact that both of them are called Geese, the very fact that they are regular visitors to the wetlands in northern India during the winter months and that they share a very similar profile makes them migratory birds. Their names too sound similar. While the Greylag Goose is named, 'Anser anser' the Bar-headed Goose is named, 'Answer indicus'.

Bar-headed Geese at the Najafgarh Lake

Both of these species of Geese have a similar honking sound that can be heard much before one can see them. The honking sound seems similar to the sound emitted by the horns of the past that had a rubber bulb that had to be pressed to make a honk.

Greylag Geese

However, what these two species of Geese do not have in common is interesting! The Greylag Geese live on lowlands and cannot tolerate hypoxic conditions (lack of Oxygen) while their close relatives, the Bar-headed Geese not only live at high altitudes but also manage to fly over the Himalayan mountains because of their tolerance of hypoxic conditions.

Greylag Geese make a noisy takeoff at the Sultanpur National Park

What is interesting moreover, is that both of these species of Geese travel great distances. Greylag Geese travel from the Northern Hemisphere and Europe, they cross the Central Asian Flyway and reach the wetlands of India during the winter season. Bar-headed Geese travel all the way from Central Asia, Mongolia, and Russia. They fly over the Himalayan mountains to land in the wetlands of India. Both Greylag Geese and Bar-headed Geese are long-distance travellers, champions of air travel that might put to shame the endurance capabilities of our commercial aircraft! It would be interesting to study these birds' migratory patterns by attaching more Geo-tags on them and following them with the help of satellites. It would be like watching planes fly across the globe on Flight Radar! 

Bar-headed Geese at the Najafgarh Lake

Talking about the differences between Greylag Geese and Bar-headed Geese, it is clear that the former happen to be the ancestors of the domestic Geese. They are bulkier than their Bar-headed cousins, and they have a reddish-coloured beak. Bar-headed Geese, on the other hand, have never been domesticated, They are sleeker than their Greylag cousins and are highfliers, managing heights of up to 20,000 feet without Oxygen tanks! Both Greylag Geese and Bar-headed Geese live within their families. They move in groups to whatever destinations they are headed to.

Strangely enough, Greylag Geese and their cousins, the Bar-headed Geese are very important indicators of climate change. They travel to warmer climates southwards when the winter spell hits the northern regions. Global warming will disrupt this migratory pattern. So, when the Geese stop arriving, it will be a signal that something terrible has happened. Also, Greylag Geese and Bar-headed Geese follow the availability of food patterns. With the steady disappearance of wetlands and thereof, their feeding grounds these migratory birds will soon disappear from the continent. The Siberian Cranes were once regular visitors to the continent decades ago but are now never seen.