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Goose
Vocalizations
By T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors
Depending on how they are used, goose calls fall into
six different categories: Contact, Intent, Agonistic,
Mating, Social Status, and Parental/Neonatal. Dr.
Cooper refers to the contact calls as the "Here
I am, where are you?" calls.
While they are in the air geese call to each other
to help keep the family, and especially the juveniles,
together. When the family flies it forms a line or
a "V" and the birds call to each other to
keep in contact. When the family joins other families
in a subflock the family usually flies in a straight
line with the gander at the front of the family.
The calling of a goose in the air is directly related
to the speed of the downbeat of the wing stroke, which
is when the goose contracts it's chest muscles and
exhales. While a goose is flying in formation the
tempo of its call is a slow herr-onk...herr-onk...herr-onk.
When a goose begins to land, its wing beat gets faster
as it backpedals, and the calling is a short, loud,
fast clucking sound (cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck) that
slows after the birds have landed and regrouped. I
have also heard geese make a quiet, drawn out herr-onk
when gliding in to land.
Feeding Calls
While geese are feeding they
perform a contact call hunters refer to as the feeding
gabble, "singing" as it is referred to by
wildlife biologists. The call is a deep guttural herr-onk-onk-onk-onk.
It occurs while the goose's head is down and it may
not be able to see very far. This call lets geese
know where the other geese are, and helps to space
the geese out while they are feeding. When young goslings
use this call it is a high pitched peep-peep-peep.
Intent Calls
The Preflight call is usually performed by the gander
while signaling its intention to take to the air to
the rest of the family. The call starts out as a slow
honk while the bird's chin is lifted, its bill points
skyward and it shakes its head from side to side and
flashes its white cheek patches as a visual signal
to the other geese. The calling becomes faster as
the goose prepares to take flight, and continues as
the goose rises into the air, the calling in time
with the wing stroke. Once the birds are in the air
the calling slows with the wing stroke and may stop
altogether.
Agonistic Calls
Agonistic (as in agonizing) or Threat Calls are intense,
and therefore loud, starting out slow and becoming
faster. They are often performed by both the male
and the female at the same time, with the male's calls
usually lower in pitch than the female's. The call
is fast and may contain two different notes; herr-onk
onk, herr-onk onk, or cluck-uck, cluck-uck. There
are three different levels of aggression in geese,
each level using the same basic call but defined by
different body posture and actions.
The first level of aggression is used by geese on
the ground or water as they are approached by other
flying geese. The geese on the ground or water extend
their neck and head upward, with the mouth open and
tongue out, and use a loud herr-onk onk. If the geese
in the air do not land in the area occupied by other
geese there is usually no further action.
In the second level of aggression the goose calls
with the neck extended skyward, but the head is bent
toward the ground, and the head is pumped up and down
while the goose calls. The action is directed toward
a subdominant goose on the ground or water, and the
subdominant often moves away from the dominant.
In the highest level of aggression the neck is extended
forward along the ground or water and the head is
tilted slightly upward while the goose calls. If the
subdominant goose does not move it is usually attacked,
either by being bitten or slapped with a wing. During
all three levels of aggression the mouth is open and
the tongue is out. When a predator or human approaches
too close to a goose, especially when eggs or young
are present, the goose may warn the intruder with
a Hiss while the mouth is open and the tongue is out.
Mating Call
The Mating or Triumph Call is used by the gander in
the spring when it has claimed a territory. The call
is a loud series of honks performed with the head
erect. This excited call starts out fast then slows
down as the mood of the goose returns to normal. During
the call the neck and head of the goose are extended
upward.
Social Status Call
The Social Status or Greeting call occurs between
two family members after they have been separated,
usually when the female returns to the nest, or after
a male has driven off a predator or another goose
that has invaded its territory. The call starts out
as a loud, slow honk that becomes faster and quieter
as the goose runs out of air. During the call the
neck and head of the goose are extended upward.
Parental/Neonatal Calls
There has been little research on Parental and Neonatal
calls of geese, but Dr. Jim Cooper says that both
parents respond to the soft peep-peep-peep of the
young goslings shortly after they hatch. I have heard
adults perform a soft, nasal onk while they were with
the young, or as the family fed. I suspect that both
these calls are a form of contact call used between
parents and young.
Alarm Signal
Geese do not have an alarm call, but they do have
an alarm signal. During alarm the head of a goose
goes up into the sentry position so that it can see
better, and it becomes silent. As other geese become
alarmed by the action of the first goose, or spot
the cause of danger, they raise their heads in the
sentry position and also become silent.
T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized
game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer
and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk,
Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His
latest products are Hunting the Whitetail Rut Phases,
the Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2005 Revised
Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2005 Revised
Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual. For
a catalog of books and other hunting products contact:
T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors,
E-mail:TRMichels@yahoo.com ,
Web Site: www.TRMichels.com
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