Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) lives in alpine across Himalayan Mountains. It feeds on grass and grains. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Bar-headed Goose
- Bar-headed geese can soar at altitudes that dwarf most aircraft: a 2012 GPS study of 91 birds found only ten ever rose above 5,784 m (18,976 ft), with a single individual reaching 7,290 m (23,920 ft), a height comparable to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Those rare high-altitude flights all occurred at night or in the early morning, when denser, colder air effectively lowers the physiological altitude stress. This shows the species' extraordinary tolerance for thin air, explaining why they can cross the Himalayas without stopping, a feat that keeps their breeding grounds on the Tibetan Plateau accessible despite the world's highest mountain range.
- The bar-headed goose's blood is chemically tuned for high-altitude flight: a single amino-acid mutation gives its haemoglobin a higher affinity for oxygen, allowing it to load more O₂ from the thin Himalayan air. Coupled with a heart left-ventricle packed with extra capillaries, the bird can keep its cardiac muscle oxygenated. This physiological suite lets the goose sustain the intense muscle work needed to flap in thin air, a key adaptation that underpins its record-breaking migrations.
- Bar-headed geese breed in massive colonies on the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau, laying three to eight eggs per clutch in shallow ground nests. After an incubation period of 28-30 days, goslings hatch and fledge in 55-60 days, reaching sexual maturity at three years. This rapid early development, combined with biparental care that boosts chick survival, helps sustain a population that may be increasing across a range of over 2,500,000 km² (970,000 sq mi).
- During migration the geese fly in V-formations that cut drag for each bird, saving energy over the 7-hour nonstop Himalayan crossing. When the lead bird tires, it drops to the back and another takes over, a simple relay that lets the flock maintain the steep climb rates recorded as the fastest for any bird. This cooperative flight style is essential for covering the 6,400 m (21,000 ft) peaks they routinely reach, turning a daunting altitude gain into a manageable group effort.
- Bar-headed geese are both a boon and a risk to humans: they draw tourists to stop-over wetlands worth $38.54 million in ecosystem services, yet they were among the first wild birds to show H5N1 avian flu at Qinghai Lake, highlighting their role as disease vectors. Their grazing on barley, rice and wheat also makes them crop pests in South Asian farmlands, illustrating the complex balance between ecological value and agricultural conflict.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeHimalayan Mountains
HabitatAlpine
DietGrass and grains
About the Bar-headed Goose
In the vast, sweeping expanse of the Tibetan Plateau, the bar-headed goose soars with effortless elegance, its snow-white head and chestnut-brown body glistening in the high-altitude sunlight as it migrates to and from its breeding grounds. With each powerful beat of its wings, this remarkable bird defies the harsh conditions of its environment, navigating treacherous mountain passes and braving the thin air to reach the remote, icy lakes where it will raise its young. As it flies, the bar-headed goose embodies a testament to endurance and resilience, its haunting calls echoing across the landscape like a primal symphony.
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