Egyptian Goose

Alopochen aegyptiacus

Other Names

    Ouette d'Égypte, Oie d'Égypt   Nilgans   Ganso del Nilo   Nilgås   Nijlgans   Oca egiziana

World: Africa, including the Nile Valley, and domesticated in other parts of the world.

Kenya: Widespread and common throughout Kenya below 3000m.

That's the official distribution, what seems to be the case is that wherever there is water, there is bound to be at least one Egyptian Goose (although there will normally be a pair). Airports, villages, housing estates - if there's a enough water to wet a webbed foot then an Egyptian Goose won't be far away. Although they are usually found in pairs they can be gregarious when not breeding, perhaps during wing moult. Pairs can be aggressively territorial towards any intruders, on one occasion we watched an irate Egyptian Goose taking on a Crocodile (it won, the croc decided that the raucous honking and apparently suicidal assaults were disturbing its sleep and left!)