The British Waterfowl Association

Which came first, the goose or the egg?

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As bird keepers we all know the egg came first! Birds are descended from dinosaurs, which of course laid eggs. If you have ever wondered why bird ID books frequently list the bird families in a particular way; it is because they usually follow the accepted taxonomic order. This the order in which we now believe they evolved. Over the years our knowledge has improved, particularly with the availability of DNA sequencing. Finding the same bird listed in different books under different scientific names is confusing, but the books too have evolved in line with our knowledge. The waterfowl, or Anseriformes, developed early on, more than 50 million years ago: So did pheasants and jungle fowl, the ancestors of chickens. The British Waterfowl Association is dedicated to education about waterfowl and their conservation, as well as to raising the standards of keeping and breeding all kinds of ducks, geese and swans in captivity.