Unique gosling hatches for the first time
In a first for WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre, we have successfully bred Magpie geese.
Magpie geese are part of our waterfowl collection at Martin Mere and we have had them for a number of years, never successfully breeding them. The gosling looks so visually different to his parents with a greyish body and light brown head.
In the wild, Magpie geese can be found in Australia. They are unmistakable birds with their black and white plumage and yellowish legs. Their voice is a loud honking noise and they are very popular birds at the Centre.
Centre Manager, Andy Wooldridge, said: “I have been here since we opened Martin Mere and we have never had success in breeding Magpie geese so this is a fantastic achievement for our aviculture team. The gosling is doing very well and it will be great to see him grow into these very distinctive birds.”
