Canada goose kills another Canada goose? (1 Viewer)

Hello,

This morning my mother (who lives in northern New Jersey) called me to ask about a Canada goose who has a nest near her office building. The building is located on some land with a small lake.

She said that the goose has been quite aggressive toward people, but this morning she and a couple of her co-workers witnessed the goose actually kill another goose. He apparently proceeded to chew on the other goose's neck after he had died.

I've been birding for 5 years, I have a degree in animal behavior and am currently in graduate school studying Anthrozoology. I know that Canada geese can be aggressive during mating and nesting season, but I have never heard about a Canada goose killing another goose. I couldn't find anything on Google searches or in any peer-reviewed journals that I have access to through my college.

Is this abnormal? Is it possible that the goose is ill-- possibly an avian equivalent of rabies? (I'm not sure if this even exists |:d|).



Thanks very much!

Hello! I see that many people viewed this post, but no answers... perhaps this is uncommon.

I have an update. Yesterday my mother told me that she and some coworkers witnessed a dozen or so American Robins fighting each other, and when my mother walked past the area after work, there were 4 dead robins on the ground.

This is also behavior that at least to me, is unknown. Does anyone have any input?


Thank you