Arctic Geese Chicks Jump Off Cliff to Survive | Hostile Planet

- [Narrator] Spring has arrived here early. (serene music) (wind rustling) And that's bad news for the barnacle geese that breed in these mountains. Many nests have failed but not this one. (contemplative music) (goslings chirping) Three chicks, they're lucky to have made it. Forced by the early spring, the parents rushed their migration. They arrived exhausted. The female sat on the eggs for 25 days. (goslings chirping and squeaking) She's lost 30 percent of her body weight. But for this family the greatest challenge is still to come. (reverberating crashing) (goose honking) The parents chose to nest on this 400 foot pinnacle. (dramatic music) It's the only way to avoid predators. (bird calling) Just one problem. The grass they eat is a mile away, by the river. (honking) And barnacle geese can't feed their young in the nest. If the chicks don't feed within 36 hours, they'll starve. (chirping and chittering) And these chicks won't be able to fly for another month. The parents are living proof. There is a solution. (honking) Just not an easy one. (ominous music) Dad leads the way. (honking) But the chicks are instinctively bonded to mom. Where she goes, they follow. (honking) (tense music) (dramatic music) Incredibly it survived. But it's stunned and now dangerously exposed. (raven calling) (suspenseful music) (goose honking) (hissing and cawing) (goose honking) (somber music) One chick gone. Now hope rests with the other two. (chirping) (tense music) The back of the spire is a shorter drop. (dramatic music) But it's much harder to avoid the rocks. For this chick there will be no escape. The third and last surviving chick. (chirping) (honking) (dramatic music) (chirping) (suspenseful music) (chirping and honking) The snow cushions the impact but offers no grip. (goose honking) (gosling chirping) (hopeful music) Only around 50 percent of chicks hatched on these cliffs make it through the first month. With the seasons increasingly unpredictable, fewer chicks will survive. (gentle music) But this chick at least has defied the odds. (honking)

Channel: National Geographic

Views: 12,278,708

Rating: 4.8233919 out of 5

Keywords: national geographic, nat geo, natgeo, animals, wildlife, science, explore, discover, survival, nature, documentary, barnacle goose, arctic, baby birds, chicks, hostile planet, Arctic geese, Arctic geese chicks, hundreds of feet, jump hundreds of feet, survive, fly, barnacle geese, three barnacle geese chicks, next meal, meal, jump hundreds, PLivjPDlt6ApRfQqtRw7JkGCLvezGeMBB2, PLivjPDlt6ApRiBHpsyXWG22G8RPNZ6jlb, PLivjPDlt6ApTjurXykShuUqp7LQcj9s8s, Arctic cliffs, predators, foxes

Id: H1S6UCX4RAA

Length: 8min 23sec (503 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 01 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/EndlessTimeloop]

I’m too high for this shit. I thought I just watched a duck kill itself.

[u/vanishingideal]

Evolution messed up.

[u/GabsTheHuman]

The emotions this put me through...

[u/[deleted]]

I watched the behind the scenes for this and as it turns out they actually got footage from two separate nest. On the first nest however a fox mum was waiting for them right at the bottom

[u/animalfacts-bot]

Geese are a group of waterfowl species. The term "goose" is more properly used for a female bird, while "gander" refers specifically to a male one. A group of geese is called a gaggle. When in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge. When flying close together, they are called a plump. Migratory geese are capable of flying up to 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) each season. Geese honk while in flight to enable communication and encourage the flock to maintain a “V” formation. Once a year, adult geese will lose flight and tail feathers, which is called molting. They are unable to fly until the new feathers have come in. The molt takes 30 to 45 days. Geese like to be near water during the molting season, to be able to escape from predators.

Picture of a cool goose

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[u/kontroverzniOnion]

I thought the first chick was in the clear then the bird came and was like got em!

[u/BlackOliveBurrito]

I watched this scene and if the chicks don’t break their necks on the way down they’re grabbed by predators that see them. Obviously since the species are still going that means some of them do survive.

[u/PurpleCowMRM]

DUCK 2: WASTED

[u/emodeva]

That was wild from start to finish! Poor baby chicks..