Canada Geese with aeroplane wings
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Canada Geese with aeroplane wings by Christine Matthews as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Canada Geese with aeroplane wings
Image: © Christine Matthews Taken: 29 Oct 2008
There is no sadder sight than a bird which is unable to fly, which is what has happened to these Canada Geese, which have what are called "aeroplane wings" caused by poor diet when young, which prevented the body developing properly. The main cause I understand is if the goslings are fed on bread. In winter when food is short bread can be a lifesaver to all kinds of birds, but if fed to a young bird, there is not the right nutritional balance for proper development. These geese will never be able to fly, but spend their lives plodding along on land. They are all right in water, as they can swim, but when the rest of the flock fly to a different lake, these sad birds have to stay behind.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.649178
Longitude
-0.114574