Intraspecific interactions in spring-staging geese reflect mate guarding and proximity to nesting dates

Abstract Wild geese form large flocks, benefiting from shared vigilance against predators which increases feeding time. As spring progresses, males invest more in mate-guarding to protect paternity, so we hypothesised that intraspecific aggression would rise with flock size and proximity to first egg dates. We tested this using field observations of four goose species staging in northeast Poland, February–April: one local breeder (nesting in March) and three Arctic-nesting species (laying from late May). Of 662 observed aggressive episodes, 643 (97%) were intraspecific, and aggression in all species increased with flock size. Locally breeding Greylag Geese Anser anser and Arctic-nesting Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis showed consistently high probabilities of aggression (60–80%) throughout, although Barnacle sample sizes were too small for firm conclusions. The other two Arctic-nesting species (Greater White-fronted Anser albifrons and Tundra Bean Goose A. serrirostris) showed aggression rising initially from zero to similarly high levels in the three weeks before departure for nesting areas. No differences were found between geese feeding on grassland versus arable fields (which offered higher food intake). We conclude that the predominance of intraspecific aggression is consistent with increasing mate-guarding (and related close-range social defence) as spring progresses relative to species-specific nesting schedules, and is unlikely to be driven primarily by interspecific competition for food or other types of interactions.