In the world of poultry farming, most meat and egg products come from chickens, but there are other options for domestic poultry out there. The domestication of geese goes back to ancient Egypt, and ducks were first domesticated thousands of years ago in Southeast Asia. People typically keep domestic ducks and geese for exhibition and as pets, but they have other uses.
How do you tell the difference between a duck and a goose? Are ducks and geese the same species? Are ducks and geese related? Both are birds that hold up traffic and poop a lot, but there are many differences between the two, both in appearance and behavior.
Physical Appearance: Ducks vs. Geese
Are Ducks and Geese the Same Species?
Ducks and geese are not the same species, but they are part of the same biological Family called Anatidae, the family that contains water birds. As water poultry, ducks and geese share a lot of physical characteristics like feathers, wings, beaks, and webbed feet.
Some varieties of duck and goose are similar in coloring, too. For example, it’s hard to tell the difference between a white goose vs. white duck because they have similar coloring. There are other ways to differentiate between the two, such as their size, general behavior, and eating habits.
Physical Appearance of Ducks
Ducks are waterfowl, living near ponds, lakes, and rivers. They are closely related to geese and swans but are smaller and squatter in stature. They are stout little birds with shorter necks than their waterfowl brothers. They have webbed feet for paddling on the water and have fantastic circulation to keep their feet from getting cold since swimming is their main way of traveling.
A duck’s bill is flat and wide, brown on females and yellow on males. Their feathers are waterproof thanks to an oil gland near their tail that ducks use to cover their feathers while preening. Ducks preen quite often, spreading the oil around on their feathers. They have a downy layer of feathers beneath to help them stay warm while swimming.
Ducks are auto-sexing, which means that you can tell males and females apart based on their physical characteristics. The female duck, called a hen, is speckled brown to help her protect herself and her eggs from predators. While sitting on her nest, she is better camouflaged than her male counterpart.
The male duck, called a drake, has bold-colored feathers on its head, typically a mix of pearlescent green and blue. He also has some colorful markings on his wings and a white band around his throat. The drake uses his colorful plumage to attract mates.
Male and female ducks look very similar, but the male tends to be bigger and is more aggressive. They are particularly aggressive when protecting their hen and goslings.
Physical Appearance of Geese
Geese are waterfowl, like ducks, but they prefer to live in the fields and grassy areas near a water source. They are grazing birds, and their beaks are triangular and tapered for finding food in the fields.
A common kind of goose in North America is the Canadian Goose, which has a black head and neck and a white chinstrap. Their breast is white and the feathers on their back are brown, turning black as they taper toward the tail. There are other kinds of geese, too, with different coloring patterns, but geese tend to be brown, white, or some combination of the two.
Geese have webbed feet, equally useful for walking and swimming. They will paddle on the surface of the water occasionally, but they tend to spend more time out of the water than ducks, who prefer to stay closer to their pond or river.
Baby Geese vs. Baby Ducks
Goslings and ducklings can be difficult to tell apart, but there are a couple of key differences. Both have yellowish, fluffy feathers with dark brown on their backs and heads. A baby goose will be much bigger than a baby duck and will have a longer neck. Besides size, you can tell a duckling from a gosling by the dark lines through their eyes.
Behaviors: Ducks vs. Geese
In addition to differences in size and coloring, geese and ducks exhibit behaviors that can set them apart from each other. Geese tend to be bigger and prone to moseying through fields, while ducks are smaller, more water-bound birds. The feeding, mating, and community behavior of ducks and geese are quite different from each other and can be observed to identify them.
Duck vs. Geese Flying
Some geese are migratory, flying south during the winter months. If you ever see waterfowl flying in V-formation, they are most likely geese. This flight pattern allows them to travel further together than one goose alone. The goose at the front of the V takes the brunt of the elements and gives way to the next in line when he gets tired.
All wild ducks have the ability to fly, but some breeds are better at it than others. Some breeds of wild duck are migratory and fly in V formation just like geese do. Domestic ducks, because of their lifestyle, are usually unable to fly. This is mostly because duck breeders breed the flying traits out of them. Also, domestic ducks are meat animals and tend to weigh too much to fly.
Duck vs. Geese Mating
Ducks choose a mate in the wintertime. In the spring, a duck couple goes to the mating ground picked out by the female. This is typically the place where the female was hatched.
Once the female lays her eggs, she will sit on them to keep them warm for an incubation period of 28 days. The male will usually leave and have a little ‘bro time’ with the other males. The female will tend to the ducklings, keep them together, and teach them to fly when they are about 6 weeks old.
A goose will typically find a mate at the age of 2 or 3, which is when they reach sexual maturity. A gander and a hen mate for life, raising another group of goslings every year. They are so loyal to their mates that if a goose’s mate dies, they usually wait several years before mating again. Some don’t mate again at all.
Are Geese Smarter than Ducks?
When we measure intelligence, we measure the brain’s capacity for understanding general concepts. Both geese and ducks are intelligent in this way, able to “imprint” upon an adult of the same species at a very young age.
Geese are one of the smartest kinds of birds in the animal kingdom. They have an excellent memory, and make great watch animals because of their ability to recognize people they have met before.
Geese live and travel in groups called gaggles. They are very community-oriented and loyal. Both the male and female of a pair will contribute to teaching goslings how to forage, swim, and fly.
Are Geese More Aggressive than Ducks?
Geese have been known for being aggressive toward unfamiliar humans, and many golfers can recall an alarming altercation with a goose on the green. Geese are usually aggressive when protecting their goslings and hens. They don’t spook easily, and will be very bold in protecting their territory from perceived invaders.
Duck drakes can become aggressive, too, usually during mating season. For the most part, however, ducks are a lot less aggressive than geese.
Raising Ducks vs. Geese
If you are looking to breed, exhibit, or just keep ducks or geese as pets to “naturally” mow your lawn, knowing your waterfowl is very important. If you want an egg-laying waterfowl, you will probably want a different bird than showing a bird in an exhibition. Breeders have worked to develop different domestic waterfowl for all of these uses.
Goose Eggs vs. Duck Eggs
Although some people keep ducks for exhibition, they mostly value ducks for their eggs, which are quite frankly delicious. Duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs, and higher in fat and cholesterol due to their bigger yolks. You can eat them the same way you eat chicken eggs. Duck eggs have a thicker shell, which means that they stay fresh longer than chicken eggs.
Duck eggs are very popular in the cuisine of Asia, where ducks were first domesticated. You can cook them any way you cook a chicken egg, whether that be fried, poached, or boiled. However, if you want to bake with duck eggs, you might have to tinker around with the recipe a bit. Since they are bigger, the chicken to duck egg ratio is not equal.
Goose eggs are safe to eat, but they have a very strong flavor and you are better off eating duck or chicken eggs.
Duck Down vs. Goose Down
Because geese are bigger birds, their down is a lot bigger than duck down. Because they tend to live in colder environments, geese have fluffier down clusters to keep them warm. Goose down is the superior down for stuffing duvets and winter gear, but it can be hard to come by because down is a byproduct of the meat industry, and demand for goose meat has gone down.canGoose Meat Vs. Duck Meat
The meat of an animal depends on what they eat. Geese and ducks have different diets, so their meat has different tastes.
Geese are vegetarian grazers and spend much of their time on land foraging for seeds, grasses, and berries. Because they are waterfowl, they enjoy waterside habitats but don’t spend as much time in the water as ducks do. Goose meat is fattier than duck meat.
A duck’s diet consists of lots of insects and seeds, and they use their broad beaks to shovel for these tasty morsels in the ground or on the surface of the water. Because of their diet, a duck’s meat will be gamier than the meat of geese or chickens.
Are Ducks or Geese Better Pets?
When it comes to the question of ducks vs. geese as pets, your decision should depend on what you want your waterfowl to bring to your property.
Domestic geese are low maintenance and easy to raise. They primarily forage for their food on your property and generally take care of themselves and the other geese in their gaggle. They are also very friendly and loyal toward the humans who raise them.
Geese have been domesticated for thousands of years, ever since the time of the Ancient Egyptians. People chiefly domesticate geese for lawn maintenance and exhibition, but they can make excellent watch animals, too.
Ducks have also been domesticated for a long time, dating back to over 2000 years ago in china. People who keep ducks for exhibition and as pets will selectively breed the ducks to produce favorable attributes. Show ducks are bred for their appearance, temperament, and pedigree. Ducks are also useful for their eggs and their meat, which are both delicious.
Like geese, ducks are inexpensive to care for and are very intelligent. However, they are a lot messier than geese. The benefit of having abundant eggs might make the messiness of ducks worth it for you, though.
Duck, Duck, Goose!
It turns out not all waterfowl are created equal. Geese and ducks share a lot of similarities, but at the end of the day, the ways they interact with their environment, with human beings, and with each other are all very different.
Both geese and ducks make good outdoor pets, depending on what you want to use them for. If you’re interested in egg farming, duck eggs taste much better than goose eggs. Geese make better pets if you want “natural” lawn care and a watch animal.
Overall, though, as long as they have water to dabble in, bugs or berries or seeds to eat, and a nice warm place to nest, your waterfowl should make a charming addition to your property.