Green pygmy goose

Nettapus pulchellus

Groene pygmeegans (Groene dwergeend)

Grüne Zwergglanzente / Anserelle verte

The green pygmy goose is native to Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. It breeds in southern New Guinea and northern Australia. First described in 1842 by the ornithologist John Gould, its specific name is derived from diminutive of the Latin adjective pulcher "pretty". It is one of three species in the Afro-Asian genus Nettapus, an ancient and unusual group of ducks. Like the African pygmy goose and Cotton pygmy goose, the green pygmy goose is one of the smallest species of wildfowl. 

This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern (2012).

Read more about captive breeding green pygmy geese at this page.

Above: adult male Green pygmy goose

Above: adult male Green pygmy goose

Above: adult female Green pygmy goose

Above: adult female Green pygmy goose

Above: an adult pair of Green pygmy geese