Egyptian Goose

The Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) is an African member of the duck family Anatidae. Because of their popularity chiefly as an ornamental bird, the species has also been introduced to Europe, United States and elsewhere outside their natural range. Egyptian geese were regularly representated in ancient Egyptian art. Taxonomy The Egyptian goose is believed to be most closely related to the shelducks (genus Tadorna) and their relatives, and is placed with them in the subfamily Tadorninae. It is the only extant member of the genus Alopochen, which also contains closely related prehistoric and recently extinct species. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data suggest that the relationships of Alopochen to Tadorna need further investigation. Etymology The generic name Alopochen (literally, fox-goose) is based on Greek (alōpós, also alōpēx), "fox", and (chēn) "goose", referring to the ruddy colour of its back. The word χήν : chēn is grammatically of either masculine or feminine gender. The species name aegyptiacus (or aegyptiaca) is from the Latin Aegyptiacus, "Egyptian".