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 (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It is a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

Cape Barren goose The Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae'') is a large goose resident in southern Australia. Etymology The species' common name is derived from Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers. It is known ...

, 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 Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

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 The Archipelago of the Recherche, known locally as the Bay of Isles, is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the south coast of Western Australia. The islands stretch from east to west and to off-shore encomp ...

, which is its only breeding site. It also visits

Pink Lake A pink lake is a lake that has a red or pink colour. This is often caused by the presence of salt-tolerant algae that produces carotenoids, such as ''Dunaliella salina'', usually in conjunction with specific bacteria, which may vary from lake ...

and Red islet. The

Cape Arid Cape Arid National Park is a national park located in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is situated east of Esperance and lies on the shore of the south coast from the eastern end of the Recherche Archipelago. The bay at its east ...

, Stokes, and

Cape Le Grand Cape Le Grand National Park is a national park in Western Australia, south-east of Perth and east of Esperance. The park covers an area of The area is an ancient landscape which has been above sea level for well over 200 million years and ...

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 Cull Island, also known as Culls Island and Gull Island, is an island off the south coast of Western Australia in the Recherche Archipelago. It is located about southeast of Esperance and occupies an area of . Cull Island is uninhabited but ...

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 Jean Pierre Vieillot {{goose-stub