Anseranas semipalmata
Silhouette: Neville William Cayley · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) is the sole living representative species of the family Anseranatidae. This waterbird is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. The species is not truly migratory but it sometimes travels large distances to find food and water, especially when not breeding, and is sometimes recorded outside its core range. The species was once also widespread in southern Australia but disappeared from there largely due to the drainage of the wetlands where the birds once bred. Due to their importance to Aboriginal people as a seasonal food source, as subjects of recreational hunting, and as a tourist attraction, their expansive and stable presence in northern Australia has been "ensured [by] protective management".
The magpie goose has black-and-white plumage in both sexes, with a long neck and legs and a long hooked bill. The males are 75–90 cm (30–35 in) in length and weigh 2.76 kg (6.1 lb) on average. The female is smaller, being 70–80 cm (28–31 in) in length and weighing 2.07 kg (4.6 lb). The wingspan of this bird spans 130–180 cm (4.3–5.9 ft). Their voice is a loud resonant honking. Its legs and feet are orange. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Magpie Goose sighting in Litchfield National Park on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 110 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to January
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Magpie Goose in Litchfield National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and July, the lowest months. Those are among Litchfield National Park's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Magpie Goose sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Magpie Goose sightings, Litchfield National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 50%) and Daintree National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same order: Anseriformes
The closest relatives of the Magpie Goose that you can see in Litchfield National Park (order Anseriformes, Waterfowl) are Raja Shelduck (about 30%), Plumed Whistling Duck (about 20%) and Wandering Whistling Duck (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Magpie Goose is recorded against all the birds logged in Litchfield National Park (61 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
