Egyptian Goose

About the Egyptian Goose

The Egyptian Goose is the newest fixture on Texas park ponds -- a tall, rangy waterfowl from Africa with a chocolate eye-patch that looks like permanent stage makeup, a pink-legged strut, and in flight a startling flash of pure white wing panels. The ancient Egyptians considered them sacred and kept them in captivity; several thousand years later, escaped ornamental birds have made themselves thoroughly at home in Texas.

Established populations now breed across the state's urban lakes, and their loud, huffing calls and neighborhood-patrolling swagger make them impossible to overlook. They are technically neither goose nor duck but a shelduck relative -- aggressive in the breeding season, devoted as parents, and famously willing to nest anywhere from tree cavities to balconies.

For years this was one of the most-seen, least-photographed birds on my own lists -- the classic "I'll shoot it next time" species. These photos, from Lake Travis, Cedar Park, and Lago Vista between 2023 and 2026, finally settle the debt.

Egyptian Geese are tame enough to make it easy, so make it interesting instead: the white wing flash in a flap or landing is the photograph that turns a park bird into a portfolio image.