Goose Sounds

The sound of a flock of geese is a quintessential sound of autumn.

The sound of a flock of geese is a quintessential sound of autumn. As a flock prepares for their winter migration, these water-friendly birds can commonly be heard honking in large groups.

Goose or geese is one of the best known waterbirds in the world. For centuries, they have been domesticated by human being. Ever wondering how was the vocalizations, songs or calls of these water creature?

Goose vocalizations, such as honking, squawking or yelping, are used to locate one another, express aggression or initiate mating. One type of call, the intent call, is used to signal flock members to prepare for flight so that the whole flock may take off in unison. Baby geese, or goslings, make a soft peeping sound to communicate with their parents. For geese, communication isn't just achieved using the type or quality of the sound itself, but also by the frequency and intensity of the sound. Different goose breeds or species, such as Canadian geese or Brant geese, have slightly different sounding vocalizations.

Geese are waterfowl belonging to the tribe Anserini of the family Anatidae. This tribe comprises the genera Anser, Branta and Chen. Some other birds, mostly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their names.