There is a common misconception that geese only sleep during the day, but this is not necessarily the case. Many of the different species of geese do in fact sleep at night, both in the wild and in captivity.
In the wild, many geese will sleep on water at night to conserve heat or to be alert to predators. During the cold winter months, they will sometimes even tuck their bills underneath their feathers to stay warm.
Domesticated geese, on the other hand, are more likely to sleep on land. This is mainly because they are not likely to have large amounts of water around them, but also because it feels safer for them.
Unlike most birds, geese do not make their own nests. Instead, they will build a nest in a protected area close to the water. This can be in the form of a mound or a depression in the ground.
Females will lay their eggs in the nest and they will keep them protected from predators until they hatch. The male goose will then stand guard over the nesting mate, trying to deter any predators from coming near.
The nesting area is usually a very shallow depression in the ground, lined with mosses, lichens, twigs, and leaves. This area will be in a protected place, such as an isolated lake or small marsh.
This is a unique sleeping technique that allows geese to shut down one part of their brain, while still being able to monitor their surroundings. This is called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, and it’s used by geese to protect them from predators while they are asleep.
