SHELDGEESE
AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
50 cm height. It has a red head, barred chest, orange legs and a white ring around the eye.
Its continental population does not reach 1000 individuals.
When they eat in agricultural fields they consume a lot of weeds.
In Buenos Aires province they live in large flocks that they share with two other species: Upland goose and Ashy-
headed goose.
They spent their winter in the southeast of Buenos Aires, then migrate to lay their eggs and raise their chicks in thein the Austral Argentinean and Chilean Patagonia
We study their migratory routes with satellite devices. Knowing their migration route is essential to ensure that they find the necessary resources and sites during their annual migration.
They can migrate twice a year: the spring migration (from Buenos Aires to Patagonia) and in the autumn migration (from Patagonia to Buenos Aires).
The sheldgoose route: 2400 km of data to preserve them.
In Argentina, their breeding areas are found in the south of Patagonia and in Tierra del Fuego, their wintering areas are concentrated in the southeast of Buenos Aires.
They migrate to the wintering area between April and May, remaining there until the end of August, when they begin to move back to their breeding areas.
population density
IN THE SOUTHEAST OF THE PAMPEAN REGION WE ESTIMATED AN AVERAGE DENSITY OF:
RUDDY-HEADED GOOSE
UPLAND GOOSE
ASHY-HEADED GOOSE
The grazing of sheldgeese does NOT cause wheat yield losses.
Both in the spring migration (from Buenos Aires to Austral Patagonia) and in the autumn migration (from Patagonia to Buenos Aires) the geese migrate near the coast and even sometimes by water.
Sheldgeese do stopovers throughout their migration...and some of them were located in National Parks.
We use camera traps to discover the presence and habitat use by predators and Ruddy-headed geese goose.
We carry out censuses in vehicles to know how many sheldgeese there are and what environments they use.
PRODUCERS
PERCEPTIONS AND OPINIONS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS IN THE SOUTHEAST OF BUENOS AIRES
More than 65% of the producers surveyed considered that there are fewer sheldgeese today than 5 years ago.
Producers point out that these birds use wheat and barley crops.