Food Selection in Geese

The aim o f this paper is to summarise some o f the w ork carried out on food selection in geese in recent years and to make suggestions for future work. The questions which w ill be examined are: do geese select, and if so what are the reasons for and mechanism of that selection? The availab ility o f food to geese is influenced by factors such as disturbance, tidal rhythms and distance from a saf e roost and these must be taken into account when considering feeding area preferences. Tw o criteria o f preference are used here: 1. Preferred foods are used first when a variety is on o ff er. 2. Preferred foods are used more intensively, i. e. the birds take a greater propor­ tion o f the available stock.