A Look at What Geese Eat, Whether Domesticated or in the Wild

If you have a thriving community vegetable garden in an urban or metropolitan space, you can expect geese to flock to your veggie haven for a tasty treat. A goose's strong beak, capable of breaking down materials, compensates for a goose's lack of teeth, giving rise to the question: what exactly can geese consume in the wild?

If you spot a silly goose in your backyard, strutting about on an animal sanctuary farm or near a body of water, pay attention to the goose's natural behaviors as it looks for food. Without human interference, a goose's diet is an interestingarray of nutrient sources.

If you hear the trademark honk of a goose and the chirps of goslings beside it, you can bet they are likely walking around to find a tasty and safe spot to find food. According to goose control company Geese Relief, the birds can be found near sources of water or areas with grassy fields, such as parks, and their diet includes:

• berries
• bulbs
• grain
• leaves of grass
• roots
• seeds
• shoots
• stems

According to A Garden Diary, geese have also been known to consume insects. These insects provide a great source of protein for the geese and can include:

• beetles
• caterpillars
• earthworms

While geese love different grass types (including the protein-rich ryegrass, the vitamin-rich clover grass, and hydrating aquatic plants) geese may also chow down on snails and small fish present in the bodies of water nearest them.

Because geese prefer being near bodies of water, their diet is influenced by the aquatic life available. When not snacking on earth-bound insects and different types of grasses, geese have been known to combine their love of insects and water life by finding tasty insects underwater. Per A Garden Diary, the water insects that geese enjoy eating include:

• damselflies
• water boatmen
• midges

Canadian geese, according to the National Audubon Society, are famous for flying in a "V" formation and are one way that informally portends the changing of seasons. Canadian geese are what's known as foragers, and they graze on land and water alike.

Canadian geese are also popular for submerging their heads and necks under the water to find their next meal.

Still, per the National Audubon Society, the diet of Canadian geese nevertheless consists of diverse sources of food that are nearly identical to the diet of general geese species described above. This includes:

• plants
• grasses
• seeds
• berries.

When they are available, insects, small fish, and other aquatic plants, bugs, and animals provide sources of nutrition for Canadian geese.

According to Wild Goose Chase, Inc., Canadian geese change their diets depending on the season. A seasonal breakdown of a Canadian goose's diet includes:

• Spring and Summer: different types of grasses as well as caddisflies, which are also known as sedge flies.
• Fall and Winter: berries and seeds.
• Year-round: different types of grasses, depending on the region where Canadian geese are found.