Difference between Duck and Goose

Goose and duck are two different freshwater birds that belong to the same family Anatidae. These birds are usually found in freshwater habitats such as lakes, rivers, ponds, streams and marshes. Although both belong to the same family, they are different from each other in terms of their size, shape, colour and behaviour. Let us see how goose differs from a duck!

Duck:

Ducks are medium-sized aquatic birds that belong to Anatidae family. They are found everywhere in the world except for Antarctica as it is very cold for them. They live close to water bodies like rivers, ponds, lakes, marshes etc. Ducks are omnivorous as they can feed on insects, grubs, small fishes and aquatic plants. They are calm and quiet animals so often take a long time to react to unfavourable surrounding noises or unwanted company.

A male duck is called a drake, whereas female duck is called a duck. The baby ducks are called ducklings. Ducks are vulnerable birds and have many natural predators such as wolves, foxes, large fishes, crocodiles and humans. They have a unique filtering system in their mouth that helps them filter water out of their beaks without losing food. They are farmed for their eggs, meat and feathers.

Goose:

A goose (plural: geese) is a medium to large sized bird mostly found in Asia, Europe and North America. The most characteristic feature of a goose is its long neck and absence of non-iridescent colours. They are generally herbivorous as they eat grass but sometimes they can eat small insects or fish. The natural predators of goose include wolves, eagles, bears, and foxes and its lifespan is between 20 to 30 years.

Geese tend to have extremely strong wings as they cover long distances every year while migrating to the warmer climates. They tend to flap their wings and make hissing noise to intimidate unwanted company. The baby geese are called goslings and the group of geese is called a gaggle. They make V formation while flying in order to reduce the air friction and increase their flying range.

Based on the above information, some of the key differences between duck and goose are as follows:

Duck	Goose
Ducks are medium sized aquatic birds, smaller than geese.	Geese are medium to large sized aquatic birds, generally larger than ducks.
Male ducks have bright plumages.	Geese lack bright plumage.
They have a stout body with short legs.	They have a longer neck, elongated body and longer legs as compared to ducks.
Ducks prefer to eat snails, seeds and insects.	Geese prefer to eat short grasses.
There are around 90 species of ducks all over the world.	There are around 29 species of Geese all over the world.
Most of the species of ducks have orange, green, yellow or black feathers.	Most of the species of geese are grey, white or black colored and often have spots on the body.
Female ducks make a quacking sound.	Geese do not quack and generally communicate by making a honking sound.
Geese do not quack and generally communicate by making a honking sound.	The baby geese are called goslings.