Blue-winged goose  (Cyanochen cyanoptera)

The blue-winged goose is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).

The blue-winged goose can be a hard bird to spot when it is on the ground, a grey-brown shape against a brown, marshy background; but when this bird takes off, the large powder-blue patch on its wings makes it unmistakable (3). Both male and female blue-winged geese are very similar in appearance, other than the female is typically smaller (2). Both sexes have brownish-grey plumage, which is darker on the upperparts and paler on the forehead and throat. The feathers on the breast and belly have pale centres, resulting in a mottled appearance, and the tail, legs and bill are black (2). The feathers of the wing have a faint metallic green sheen and the upper wing coverts are pale blue (4), giving this species its name. Juvenile blue-winged geese are similar in appearance to the adults, other than their wings lack the green gloss (2).

The blue-winged goose is found only in the highlands of Ethiopia (5), a plateau that begins at 1,500 metres and rises up to 4,570 metres. The isolation of this unique habitat means that many of the animals and plants of the highlands are found nowhere else in the world (6).

Within the Ethiopian highlands, sometimes called ‘the roof of Africa’ (6), the blue-winged goose is found in grassy meadows and pastures (2), generally close to streams, rivers, lakes, or marshy, swampy areas (5).

Although the blue-winged goose is typically found by running or standing water (2), this portly goose rarely swims (3), but it is a capable walker and runner (4). It often occurs on the banks of rivers and lakes, where it grazes on grasses, sedges and other vegetation, although it is also known to occasionally feed on insects, worms, freshwater molluscs and small reptiles (5).

The blue-winged goose is often found in large flocks of 50 to 100 individuals, until the arrival of the breeding season, when it occurs in small groups or single pairs (5). The breeding season occurs in the drier months between March and June, when the blue-winged goose constructs a nest on the ground, hidden amongst vegetation. After breeding, the blue-winged goose moves to lower altitudes for the wetter, non-breeding season (5).

The threats to the blue-winged goose, and to the other flora and fauna of the Ethiopian highlands, ultimately all result from the phenomenal human population growth that has occurred in Ethiopia in recent years. In 1940, the population of Ethiopia was seven million; by 2004 this had risen to an incredible 70 million (7). With eighty percent of the human population living in the highland and using the land for agriculture and livestock (7), it is not surprising that the wildlife of the highlands has been affected. The blue-winged goose is impacted as wetlands are drained for agriculture, land is eroded by large numbers of cattle, and overgrazing by livestock results in competition for their primary food source (5) (7).

While there appears to be no specific measures in place to conserve the blue-winged goose, this species will benefit from actions to conserve the habitat and wildlife of the Ethiopian highlands. A number of this species’ important breeding areas lie within the Bale Mountains National Park (5), and the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Organisation is working to protect the fauna and flora of this region, although, unfortunately, conservation efforts over the years have been hampered by famine, civil unrest and war (7). It has been proposed that further important breeding sites, as well as other vital non-breeding areas, require protection if this threatened species is to thrive (5).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.