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The Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis) is a bird found in South Africa and Botswana. Wetlands and rivers across sub-Saharan Africa. It eats leaves and other plant parts, seeds and nuts and fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Spur-winged goose lives

Wetlands and rivers across sub-Saharan Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🌿 Leaves & plants60%
• 🌰 Seeds & nuts20%
• 🐟 Fish10%
• 🍎 Fruit10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Spur-winged goose

Recorded by African Bioacoustics Community (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1173595. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Spur-winged goose

Where does the Spur-winged goose live?

The Spur-winged goose lives in South Africa and Botswana. Wetlands and rivers across sub-Saharan Africa.

What does the Spur-winged goose eat?

leaves and other plant parts (about 60%), seeds and nuts (about 20%), fish (about 10%), fruit (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Spur-winged goose endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

• African darter
• Namaqua dove
• Levaillant's cisticola
• Chinspot batis
• Swainson's spurfowl
• White-faced whistling duck

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.