The Recherche Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae grisea''), also known as the Cape Barren goose (southwestern), is large grazing bird found along the southern coast of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. It is a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of the

Cape Barren goose The Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae''), sometimes also known as the pig goose, is a species of goose endemic to southern Australia. It is a distinctive large, grey bird that is mostly terrestrial and is not closely related to oth ...

, the other subspecies of which inhabits islands and coastal regions of

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...

in south-eastern Australia. It is distinguished by its larger size and variant colouring.

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies is found on the beaches, pasture, rocky areas, and islands of the Recherche Archipelago, which is its only breeding site. It also visits Pink Lake and Red islet. The

Cape Arid Cape Arid National Park is a List of national parks of Australia, national park located in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is situated east of Esperance, Western Australia, Esperance and lies on the shore of the South coast of ...

, Stokes, and Cape Le Grand National Parks are also occupied in summer months.

Behaviour

The geese feed by grazing and rarely swim. Nesting takes place mainly on the larger scrub-covered islands of the Archipelago, notably Cull Island.

Status and conservation

Historically the population of the western subspecies was about 1000 individuals, declining in the early 1990s, with the current population considered stable. Its relative rarity of the subspecies makes it vulnerable to extinction.

References

Endemic birds of Western Australia Birds described in 1818 Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot {{goose-stub