Difference Between Goose and Swan (With Table)

Swan and goose, these two species always confuse me. For a long time, I thought these two are the same species and the words are synonyms of each other. I know there are several people who make the same mistake and for them, we are going to share 12 difference between goose and swan.

So let’s walk through the article and get to know the difference between goose and swan.

Goose vs Swan 

Goose has a short neck, short body, and wings. It has less weight too in comparison to swans. But it has long legs.

On the contrary, swans have “S” shaped long necks, large body, and wings. It is heavier than a goose. But its legs are shorter in comparison to geese.

Difference between Goose and Swan 

Swan	Goose
Swan has 7 species.	Goose has 22 species which is 3 times more than swan.
It has a long “S” shaped neck.	Its neck is shorter than a swan’s.
Its body and wings are larger and heavier than a goose.	Its body and wings are shorter and lighter in weight than swans.
Swan has shorter legs.	Goose has longer legs.
Swan is not as colorful as the goose. It is mostly white in color.	Goose is more colorful than swans.
Cob is the male gender and pen is the female gender.	Gander is the male form and goose is the female form.
Swan doesn’t have a strong family bond.	Goose has strong family bonds as they migrate from one place to another together.
Some swans migrate from one place to another, some do not.	All geese are migratory birds.
Except for Antarctica, almost all cold or temperate places are favorable for swans.	In the Northern Hemisphere, North America, Asia, and Europe, they generally exist.
The lifespan of a swan is 20-30 years.	Goose can live 10-12 years in the wild. But in captivity, its lifespan is almost 30 years.
Mollusks, small fish, frogs, worms, and small grass from land are the favorite foods of swans. They mostly search for food in water rather than on land.	They live on grass, stems, roots, leaves, shoots, stems, bulbs, grain, small insects, and berries. They usually search for food on land rather than in water.
It has fewer predators due to its large size.	It has more predators due to its small size.

What is Goose?

Goose is a species that comes from the Duck family. “Goose” is the singular form whereas “Geese” is the plural form of it. It has a short body and wings. It is also light in weight. But its legs are comparatively long. Male geese are known as gander and female geese are known as geese.

Goose is from the Anatidae family and the Anserinae subfamily. It has separated from the Duck family 30 million years ago and from the Swan family 12 million years ago. It has 22 subspecies under 22 genera.

Generally, geese have different colors in their body. Some geese have black spots, some are grey or brown, and some have white small patches in their belly.

Geese are more social than swans. They maintain strong family bonds and when they migrate, they fly along with other geese. An interesting fact is

a gander (male version of goose) assists goose (female version of goose) to incubate eggs. They guard each other during their incubation period which is not common for swans.

Due to its small size, it has more numbers of predators. Some of the known predators are coyotes, wolves, and large raptors.

What is Swan?

Unlike geese, swans also come from the duck family. It has a large body and wings. Because of this, it is heavier in weight. But its legs are comparatively shorter than a goose. A male swan is known as a cab and the female goose is known as a pen.

Like the goose, swan also arrives from the Anatidae family and Anserinae subfamily. Similarly, it has also separated from the Duck family 30 million years ago and from the Goose family 12 million years ago. It has 7 subspecies in which one is already extinct.

Generally, swans are white in color. Some swans have black spots and a few are completely black. For catching and eating fish, it has a jagged bill that acts like teeth.

Swans are not so social species. The cob (Male version of the swan) assists the pen (Female version of the swan) in making the nest, but it doesn’t help for the incubation of eggs which reflects the unsocial nature of swans.

Due to its large size, it has fewer predators. It shows aggression in a threatening situation. Coyotes, raccoons, and wolves hunt their eggs. In some cases, they also attack the adults.

Related: Difference Between Lamb And Goat (With Table).

The main difference between Swan and Goose 

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• Goose has a short neck, short body, and wings. On the contrary, the swan has an “S” shaped long neck, large body, and wings.
• Goose has less weight but swans have heavy weight.
• Goose has long legs but swans have short legs.
• Goose can be white, grey, or brown in color but swans are generally white in color.

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Conclusion 

Goose and swan both come from the same family and subfamily but they are not the same species. There are several differences between swan and goose. We hope after reading this article, you’ve got the idea regarding this.

Summary 

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• Swan has 3 species but goose has 7 species.
• The Swan’s body and wings are larger and heavier than the goose.
• Swan has short legs but the goose has long legs.
• Swan has an “S” shaped long neck but goose has a short neck.
• Generally, swans are white in color but geese can be white, grey, or brown.
• The male swans are known as cob and the females are known as pens. On the contrary, the male geese are known as gander, and the female is known as a goose.
• Except for Antarctica, almost all cold or temperate places are favorable for swans. Northern Hemisphere, North America, Asia, and Europe, goose generally exist.
• Mollusks, small fish, frogs, worms, and small grass from land are the favorite foods of swans. They mostly search for food in water than on land. On the contrary, geese used to take grass, stems, roots, leaves, shoots, stems, bulbs, grain, and berries as well as small insects. They usually search for food inland than in water.
• Some swans are migratory, some are not but all geese are migratory.
• The lifespan of a swan is 20-30 years but the lifespan of a goose is 10-12 years in the wild.

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The FAQs about Swan and Goose

For more queries, you may check the FAQ section or put your opinion below in the comment box.

Can a swan mate with a goose?

Yes, it is possible. A swan can mate with a goose and that offspring is known as “Swoose”.

Why are geese afraid of swans?

Swans are aggressive in character. Because of this, they often attack if anyone comes into their area which is why geese are afraid of swans.

What is the rarest type of swan?

Trumpeter Swan is the rarest type of swan.

Who would win in a fight a goose or a swan?

As swan has more weight than goose, so it can easily win the battle with goose.

What smell do geese hate?

Methyl anthranilate, a chemical that is found naturally in grape juice is hated by geese.