Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae
Genus
Oressochen
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Orinoco Goose Oressochen jubatus

Lisa Davenport, Whaldener Endo, and Ken Kriese
Version: 1.0 — Published March 8, 2013

Conservation

The species' population is currently estimated at 10,000 to 25,000 mature individuals (IUCN 2012), although a proper survey of suitable areas is still lacking (Kriese 2004). Thought to be in decline in most parts of its range due to hunting and habitat loss.

Effects of human activity on populations

Hunting and habitat loss seem to be the primary causes of decline of the Orinoco Goose population (IUCN 2012). While it may not be a preferred game species in areas where it occurs (Endo, Haugaasen and Peres, in press; M. Herrera, personal communication), the species' conspicuousness, along with its tendency to remain in open habitats (i.e. riverine beaches), makes it an easy target and therefore an occasional prey for opportunistic hunters.

In Manu National Park, Peru, park guards have reported that local Matsiguenka villagers occasionally kill birds that depredate watermelon plantings on river beaches. Local villagers also occasionally remove young from family groups to raise as pets (Davenport, unpublished observations, Peru and Brazil). The impact of these removals on population decline and migratory behavior have yet to be studied.

Recommended Citation

Davenport, L., W. Endo, and K. Kriese (2013). Orinoco Goose (Oressochen jubatus), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.origoo1.01