Several black-and-white spur-winged geese with red bills standing in grass. — Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Spur-Winged Goose

Plectropterus gambensis

Africa's largest waterfowl, a black-and-white goose with a sharp spur on each wing and a diet that can make it poisonous.

🦆 Waterfowl

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About the Spur-Winged Goose

Spur-winged geese live in wetlands, lakes, marshes and flooded grasslands across Africa. They are 30 to 45 inches long, with bright red bills, and males have a knob on the forehead. They are mostly black with white patches on the face and wings. They eat grasses, water plants and insects.^[1][2]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Plectropterus gambensis^[1]
Size: 30 to 45 inches long.^[1]
Diet: Grasses, water plants and insects.^[1]
Habitat: Wetlands, lakes, marshes and flooded grasslands.^[1]
Where it lives: Sub-Saharan Africa.^[2]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).^[3]

Fun facts

Each wing has a sharp spur for defense.^[1]
Eating blister beetles can make these geese poisonous.^[1]
It is Africa's largest waterfowl.^[1]

Vocabulary

spur: A sharp, bony point.
toxin: A poison made by a living thing.
waterfowl: Ducks, geese and swans.
wetland: Land that is covered by shallow water some or all of the time.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and AquariumOmaha, Nebraska · Scott African GrasslandsSee this area on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. “Spur-Winged Goose.” https://cincinnatizoo.org/animals-archive/spur-winged-goose/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] Biodiversity Explorer, Iziko Museums of South Africa. “Plectropterus gambensis (Spur-winged goose).” https://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/birds/anatidae/plectropterus_gambensis.htm (accessed 2026-10-02)
[3] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Plectropterus gambensis (Spur-winged Goose).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22680057/92840685 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Waterfowl

Abyssinian Blue-Winged GooseCyanochen cyanopteraA brown goose with powder-blue wing patches that lives only in the highlands of Ethiopia and whistles instead of honking.Blue-Winged TealSpatula discorsA small dabbling duck that flies from North America as far as South America each fall, flashing a powder-blue wing patch.Cape TealAnas capensisA small, speckled gray African duck with a pink bill that can dive and swim underwater with its wings folded.Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacaA brown African waterbird with dark eye patches that grazes near rivers and lakes and has spread to parts of Europe.Ringed TealCallonetta leucophrysOne of the world's smallest ducks, a tree-perching duck of South American wetlands that nests in tree holes.Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisA small diving duck of the Americas with a bright blue bill, whose males drum their bills to make bubbles when courting.Southern ScreamerChauna torquataA South American wetland bird, also called the crested screamer, whose call carries up to 3 km and whose wings have sharp spurs.Swan GooseAnser cygnoidesAn endangered long-necked goose of eastern Asia that migrates thousands of kilometers and is the ancestor of the Chinese domestic goose.

White-Faced Whistling DuckDendrocygna viduataA long-necked duck of Africa and South America with a white face that whistles instead of quacking and often perches in trees.