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Patagonia has only one large grazing mammal -- the guanaco -- but it has numerous species of largely terrestrial geese that feed on grass and other low-growing plants. The most prominent of these in southern Chile is the upland goose, shown here. Pairs and family groups of these attractive geese can be seen everywhere in open country, often far from any body of water, nibbling away. The large white males and smaller brownish females are very protective of their young, which presumably are at risk from numerous species of raptors (e.g., the black-breasted buzzard eagle and southern crested caracara) and two foxlike canids, the culpeo and the chilla. These geese were photographed in various places in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in south Chile. The intense aqua color of the water in some of the photos is due to the glacial meltwater that is the source of many of the rivers and lakes in this area. |
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