Guess who’s making a splash at Westhampton Lake?
Campus Life
First-year students probably haven’t met the Triceragoose – but it won’t be long before they encounter her and learn of her lore. Her portrait hangs above the fireplace in Tyler Haynes Commons and can be found on T-shirts for sale in the bookstore. Now, the legendary bird has its own video.
The nickname comes from the knob at the top of her beak that resembles a triceratops, said campus gardener Larry Richmond, Jr.
Ornithologist Stephen Ferguson, who taught in the biology department last year, said that students and others often speculate about its species. “I’ve heard lots of interesting theories about it being crossed with this or that, or some other kind of hybrid, but so far as I can tell it is simply a Chinese goose, a breed of domesticated swan goose or Anser cygnoides.”
This particular Chinese goose that patrols Westhampton Lake has been at UR for more than 10 years. Chemistry professor Miles Johnson remembers a “Triceragoose” when he was a student at UR from 2005 to 2009. Some speculate that Triceragoose is the same immortal goose.
Friend or fowl?
Triceragoose is often seen building and sitting on a nest near Westhampton Lake, but the eggs are unfertilized and never hatch. Its reputation ranges from angry stalker to campus sweetheart.
“So far as temperament, it seems to be pretty tolerant of frequent foot traffic around the lake. I’ve never seen it get particularly aggressive toward anyone that gets near one of its nests, which is where I would expect the most extreme responses,” Ferguson said.
However, Richmond said, that while some regard Triceragoose in a respectful manner, others may have had a close encounter that was not so pleasant.
Despite its exotic name, the goose is a domestic breed. Without any migration instinct, the Triceragoose is happy to stick around and associate with the other geese at the lake, Ferguson said, adding that there seems to be plenty of food and minimal predators to bother it.
“As for why there’s only one, it doesn’t seem to be able to attract a wild mate,” he said.
Either way, the bird has a fan base on campus, as the campus bookstore is currently sold out of Triceragoose stickers and has ordered more. Gina Foster, director of the SpiderShop said it's a popular item. “There's talk about the Triceragoose all the time.”