Bar-headed Goose

The Bar-headed Goose is a distinctive pale gray goose with a mostly white head crossed by two bold black bars running across the crown and nape, a feature that gives the species its name and makes it easily recognizable. The body is pale silvery-gray with a whitish stripe down the side of the neck, and the legs and bill are yellowish-orange.

The species is renowned among ornithologists as one of the highest-flying birds in the world, with documented flights crossing the Himalayas at extreme altitudes during migration between its Central Asian breeding grounds and South Asian wintering areas.

Key field marks

• White head with two bold black bars across the crown and nape
• Pale silvery-gray body
• White stripe down the side of the neck
• Yellowish-orange bill and legs

Similar species

• No other goose shares the combination of a white head with two black crown bars, making adults essentially unmistakable within their range.

Bar-headed Geese breed on high-altitude lakes and wetlands across the Tibetan Plateau and Central Asia, often at elevations exceeding 4,000-5,000 meters (13,000-16,000 feet), among the highest breeding sites of any goose.

In winter, they migrate to lowland wetlands, lakes, and agricultural areas across South Asia, particularly India and neighboring countries, undertaking one of the most physiologically remarkable migrations of any bird by crossing the Himalayas at extreme altitude.

Behavior

Bar-headed Geese are famous for their extraordinary high-altitude flight capability, with physiological adaptations including highly efficient hemoglobin and lungs that allow them to fly at altitudes where oxygen levels would incapacitate most other birds. They are social, forming flocks during migration and on wintering grounds.

Voice

A loud, nasal honking call, similar in general character to other gray geese, given both in flight and on the ground.

Feeding

They graze on grasses and feed on grain stubble in agricultural fields during winter, as well as aquatic plants around lakes and wetlands on the breeding grounds.

Nesting and breeding

Females nest on the ground, sometimes on cliff ledges or islands within high-altitude lakes for protection from predators, laying 3-8 eggs.