African Pygmy-Goose ( Nettapus auritus, family: Anatidae)

Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Pygmy Goose

african pygmy goose kruger national park birds The African Pygmy-Goose (Latin name Nettapus auritus) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 114 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 99 also a picture of the African Pygmy-Goose on page 96. The African Pygmy-Goose belongs to the family of birds classified as Anatidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the African Pygmy-Goose is also known by these other names: Dwarf Goose.

In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the African Pygmy-Goose was called the Pygmy Goose

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The African Pygmy-Goose is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a resident

In terms of distribution of the African Pygmy-Goose in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. African Pygmy-Goose : see above distribution map.

Identification assistance for this avian species ...

The African Pygmy-Goose is a bird a little bit bigger than a starling. The height of the African Pygmy-Goose is about 33 cms and its weight is about 260 gms

The male and female African Pygmy-Goose have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is green.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is yellow.
  • Throat is white.
  • Back is green.
  • Legs are grey.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The African Pygmy-Goose feeds in or around water mainly

Invertebrates

Seeds

Aquatic life forms

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The African Pygmy-Goose is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Nettapus auritus will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of African Pygmy-Goose is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are ivory in colour and number between 6 to 12

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for African Pygmy-Goose are: wetlands and riverine areas

You will normally see the African Pygmy-Goose in flocks.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Unknown

Zulu ... Unknown

Afrikaans ...Dwerggans

German ... Afrikanische Zwerggans

Portuguese ... Pato-orelhudo

French ... Anserelle naine

Dutch ... Afrikaanse Dwerggans

First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list

For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 114

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za