Magpie Goose with chicks

The Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata) thrives in large flocks on the floodplains of the Northern Territory in Australia. During the wet season, male geese join with one or two females to build a floating platform. These are made by trampling reeds, and are used for courtship and resting. When a female is ready to lay eggs, they modify the platform into a floating bowl-like nest. Both the male and females share incubation, and often stand over the eggs to shade them from the hot sun. The chicks are well developed upon hatching. They spend only a day in the nest before venturing out with their parents to search for food. As the dry season progresses, the geese move from one drying swamp to another.