If you’ve ever had a run-in with goose parents, you know that these birds make for fierce defenders of their babies, which we call goslings. Females typically lay 2-9 eggs, and to boost survival rates, both parents defend the nest during incubation. They become even more aggressive later in the spring as hatching time approaches. Clearly this aggressiveness is a desired trait, as the most fertile females seem to mate with the most defensive males.
Photo by Cassidy Cooper; Caption by Isabelle McDonald
Edited by Brady Nichols
References
Clermont, J., Réale, D., Lindsay, M. È., & Giroux, J. F. (2019). Plasticity, state-dependency, and individual consistency in Canada goose nest defense behavior. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73, 1-11.
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