The social life of greylag geese : patterns, mechanisms and evolutionary function in an avian model system / edited by Isabella B.R. Scheiber, University of Groningen, the Netherlands and Konrad Lorenz Research Station, Grünau, Austria, Brigitte M. Weiss, University of Tübingen, Germany and Konrad Lorenz Research Station, Grünau, Austria, Josef Hemetsberger, University of Vienna and Konrad Lorenz Research Station, Grünau, Austria, Kurt Kotrschal, University of Vienna and Konrad Lorenz Research Station, Grünau, Austria.

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Greylag geese : from general principles to the Konrad Lorenz flock / Josef Hemetsberger, Brigitte M. Weiß and Isabella B.R. Scheiber -- Goose research then and now / Katharina Hirschenhauser, Heidi Buhrow, Helga Fischer and Kurt Kotrschal -- Individuals matter : personality / Simona Kralj-Fišer, Jonathan Niall Daisley and Kurt Kotrschal -- Maintenance of the monogamous pair bond / Iulia T. Nedelcu and Katharina Hirschenhauser -- Alternative social and reproductive strategies / Brigitte M. Weiß -- Beyond the pair bond : extended family bonds and female-centred clan formation / Isabella B.R. Scheiber and Brigitte M. Weiß -- Causes and consequences of aggressive behaviour and dominance rank / Brigitte M. Weiß -- The costs of sociality measured through heart rate modulation / Claudia A.F. Wascher and Kurt Kotrschal -- 'Tend and befriend' : the importance of social allies in coping with social stress / Isabella B.R. Scheiber -- How to tell friend from foe : cognition in a complex society / Brigitte M. Weiß, Christian Schloegl and Isabella B.R. Scheiber -- The greylag goose as a model for vertebrate social complexity / Isabella B.R. Scheiber, Kurt Kotrschal and Brigitte M. Weiß.

The flock of greylag geese established by Konrad Lorenz in Austria in 1973 has become an influential model animal system and one of the few worldwide with complete life-history data spanning several decades. Based on the unique records of nearly 1000 free-living greylag geese, this is a synthesis of more than twenty years of behavioural research. It provides a comprehensive overview of a complex bird society, placing it in an evolutionary framework and drawing on a range of approaches, including behavioural (personality, aggression, pair bonding and clan formation), physiological, cognitive and genetic. With contributions from leading researchers, the chapters provide valuable insight into historic and recent research on the social behaviour of geese. All aspects of goose and bird sociality are discussed in the context of parallels with mammalian social organisation, making this a fascinating resource for anyone interested in integrative approaches to vertebrate social systems.