ORINOCO GOOSE

Did you know? Many of our Rainforest Expeditions guests spot this rare bird along Amazon waterways

The rare Orinoco Goose (Neochen jubata) lives along forested waterways and marshlands in South America. Unlike the familiar geese you find on lakes and rivers in North America and Europe, the Orinoco Goose is much less common. Although it has a huge range, it’s rarely encountered outside of remote, protected areas like our Tambopata home

Orinoco Geese tend to hang out on sandbars and open, rocky areas of rivers. As a result, they’re one of the easiest bird species to see when traveling along remote Amazonian rivers  Even though this striking goose lives in the Amazon basin, it’s not really a forest bird. Unlike most duck and geese species, however, it rarely floats in the water either.

Orinoco Goose Fun Facts

• Named after one of South America’s longest rivers: This bird is named after the Orinoco River, the most important waterway in northern South America. Large numbers of Orinoco Geese live in the savannahs around the Orinoco River.


• Restricted to South America: You’ll only find Orinoco Geese in the Amazon basin, the Orinoco basin, and in the Pantanal wetlands of southern Brazil and Paraguay.


• Threatened by hunting: Despite its large range, the geese have disappeared from many areas due to overhunting. Because of this, you can only find them in remote, protected places like Tambopata


• Related to African species of geese: Interestingly, the closest relative of the Orinoco Goose is the similar-looking Egyptian Goose of Africa