Facts about Goose

The term goose also refers only to the adult female, while gander is the name for the male, and a young male or female goose before fledging (growing flight feathers) is called a gosling.

The unusual magpie goose is in a family of its own, the Anseranatidae.

One of those is the cotton pygmy goose, Nettapus javanica.

Another French delicacy, Confit d'oie, requires goose meat macerated in herbs and salt, cooked in savory broth or fat, and preserved in rendered fat.

A number of other waterbirds have "goose" as part of their name.

Goose down especially has great loft, the ability to expand from a compressed, stored state to trap large amounts of compartmentalized, insulating air.

Foie gras is one of the most popular delicacies in French cuisine and its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of a regular goose liver.

The spur-winged goose, Plectropterus gambensis, is most closely related to the shelducks, but distinct enough to warrant its own subfamily, the Plectropterinae.

Goose feathers, because they are soft, are used in pillows, blankets, and mattresses.

Foie gras is one of the most popular delicacies in French cuisine and its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of a regular goose liver.