Updated Feb
5; Posted Feb 5
A bird
native to sub-Saharan Africa, but also widely distributed as a domesticated
species, has been spotted and photographed in Marysville along the Susquehanna
River.
The
Egyptian goose, which was seen on Sunday afternoon but not since, is “a common
captive in collections at ornamental lakes and waterparks,” according to eBird,
a birders’ reporting site that has recorded 4 sightings of the species in the
wild in Pennsylvania since 2004.
The lone
specimen likely is an escapee from a domestic flock, rather than having found
its way to Pennsylvania from Africa or Europe, where the species is considered
a high-risk invasive and control methods are generally prescribed.
The
earliest reports of Egyptian geese in North America were recorded in 1877 and
1900, and those birds were at first considered to have reached our shores naturally.
But further consideration tagged the birds as escapes, as the species was
commonly held in captive collections and many were imported to the U.S. around
the time of those first sightings.
The
Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes, “As an exotic species, there is much concern
over the potential economic, ecological and social impacts that the Egyptian
Goose may have in North America. Even in their native range of Africa, they are
considered pests due to their willingness to eat farmer’s crops and their prevalence
on golf courses.
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