Group of Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus), in Kaziranga

From the archive record

Bar-headed Geese (or 'Crossed checks' as Shruti Sharma of the Indian Forest Service, calls them!) feeding on a marshy grassland near cultivation, just outside Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India. The Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) is a goose which breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India. It lays three to eight eggs at a time in a ground nest. The Bar-headed Goose is thought to be one of the world's highest flying birds. The bar-headed goose is known to be well equipped for this incredibly challenging migration. It has a slightly larger wing area for its weight than other geese, which is believed to help the goose fly at high altitudes. Studies have found that they breathe more deeply and efficient