Which species of wild goose, Anser anser, is the ancestor of all European domestic geese?
Anser (bird) Maltese swan "Cygnus equitum" was occasionally placed into "Anser", and "Anser condoni" is a synonym of "Cygnus paloregonus". A goose fossil from the Early-Middle Pleistocene of El Salvador is highly similar to "Anser". Given its age it is likely to belong to an extant genus, and biogeography indicates "Branta" as other likely candidate. ?"Anser scaldii" (Late Miocene of Antwerp, Belgium) may be a shelduck. Two species in the genus are of major commercial importance, having been domesticated as poultry: European domesticated geese are derived from the greylag goose, and Chinese and some African domesticated geese are derived from the swan
Anser (bird) can be assumed with limited certainty that European fossils from known inland sites belong into "Anser". As species related to the Canada goose have been described from the Late Miocene onwards in North America too, sometimes from the same localities as the presumed grey geese, it casts serious doubt on the correct generic assignment of the supposed North American fossil geese. "Heterochen" = "Anser pratensis" seems to differ profoundly from other species of "Anser" and might be placed into a different genus; alternatively, it might have been a unique example of a grey goose adapted for perching in trees. The