We are camping on a farm-campsite called Maddybenny on the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland, surrounded by a variety of free-range poultry: chickens and geese, peacocks and horses, cows and a donkey. The word goose actually denotes a female goose. The male is called gander. Geese are large, heavily built waterfowl from the family Anatidae (swans, geese and ducks). They specialize in grazing and dwell more on land than other Anatidae. Consequently they have strong, rather long legs, placed in the middle of their body, which allows them to walk well. Geese can live up to 30 years. They are fertile from the age of 3. Unlike ducks, the males and females have the same plumage, but the difference is noticeable because the female has a larger potbelly than a male, especially obvious in the breeding season.