Fine-Fea t h e r e d Travelers Geese are found virtually everywhere There’s the wild Canada goose and halfway around the world is the snow goose of Siberia There is the pied goose which lives down under in Australia The rarely seen Hawaiian goose lives out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean The little brant goose nests in very cold Arctic areas The wild goose called the greylag is found in Europe Geese spend a lot of time in the water Like ducks they have a coat of oil on their feathers that keeps them from getting too wet And the soft lines that make a V shape This formation helps keep them from getting tired as they fly because each goose gets a lift from the air flowing off the goose ahead LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES DUCKS GULLS SWANS D I D YO U K N O W in Asia and Europe have kept loud geese as guards Geese make People honking cries when danger appears A f t e r c h a s i n g t h e e n e m y a w a y t h e y c a c k l e t r i u m p h a n t l y 10 J u l i l e H a b e C o r b s i D R o b e r t L o r r i F r a n z C o r b s i Top Mother goose nuzzling her gosling young goose bottom snow geese flying in a V formation feathers beneath called down keep them warm even in the iciest of waters Down is so good at keeping things warm that people often use it in winter coats and in comforters It’s also good in pillows because it’s so soft Geese are fairly large birds often standing three feet tall despite their short legs Geese may look somewhat silly when they waddle on land But their sturdy legs actually help them walk more steadily than ducks or swans do Geese have webbed feet that make them strong swimmers They are also powerful fliers They can make especially long flights during their annual migrations to their winter feeding grounds You may see groups of geese traveling south in the fall in
GEESE S EA R C H LIG H T How use do people down feathers A Canada goose flies close to the water because the feathers are soft and very warm Answer People use down to stuff pillows quilts and coats 11 G e t t y I m a g e s
Gulls are among the most common waterbirds of ocean and coastal zones worldwide Some gulls travel enormous distances between their summer and winter homes S EA R C H LIG H T How are gulls helpful to humans 12
GULLS The Ocea n s C rew Clea n u p A fishing boat chugs back into the harbor with its day’s catch The gulls follow close behind They know that the fishermen will be throwing goodies overboard as they empty the bait bag and clean the deck The gulls dip into the waves to scoop up bits of food They fill the air with their excited cries This often happens when they are fighting over something good to eat Along the shore gulls are helpful to the people who clean beaches and harbors They swoop down to pick up messy things Gulls eat almost anything from dead fish to potato chips and scraps of hot dogs And they clear away lots of insects too Gulls eat all day long They have to just to stay alive Gulls are big birds that fly great distances While flying they use up a lot of energy Gulls can fly many miles without stopping They can fly from one end of a country to the other But all the time they’re up Seagull stands on a rock Guy Motil Corbis there they’re looking down to see if they can find something to eat Gulls are good swimmers too Their feet are webbed The little stretches of skin between their toes make their feet act as paddles Gulls are also floaters They stay on top of the water like a piece of wood does On long trips over the ocean they drop down onto the water and float while taking a nap LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES ALBATROSSES DUCKS FISH l cal D I D YO U K N O W l e d B o n a p a r t e s The type of gul l was named after Charles-Lucien Bonaparte a nephew of the famous gul French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte The younger Bonaparte spent much i f e s t u d y i n g t h e w o r l d s b i r d s l of his C h r i s J o n e s C o r b s i picnic areas dumps and parking lots that would otherwise be left Answer Gulls clean up a lot of food waste from beaches harbors behind as trash 13
