Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Muc Lien’s 18 Gates of Hell.
Muc Lien's 18 Gates of Hell
Lighthouse and Museum of Jára Cimrman (Maják a muzeum Járy Cimrmana).
Lighthouse of Jára Cimrman
Markers honor 865 war dead.
Sovjet Ereveld (Soviet Field of Honor)
The intaglio leaves a subtle impression on the land along Riverside Drive in Fort Atkinson.
Panther Intaglio
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?
about 19 hours ago
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
3 days ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
4 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Missouri Sumner Maxie, the World's Largest Goose
AO Edited

Maxie, the World's Largest Goose

This 40-foot fowl marks the so-called "wild goose capital of the world."

Sumner, Missouri

Added By
kmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Maxie, the World’s Largest Goose in 1988   John Margolies/Library of Congress/Public Domain
Maxie, the World’s Largest Goose in 1988   John Margolies/Library of Congress/Public Domain
Maxie, the World’s Largest Goose in 1988   John Margolies/Library of Congress/Public Domain
Maxie, the World’s Largest Goose   Sector001/CC BY-SA 3.0
Maxie, the World’s Largest Goose   Sector001/CC BY-SA 3.0
Maxie, the World’s Largest Goose   kmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm / Atlas Obscura User
Maxie, The World’s Largest Goose   kmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Standing in the middle of a public park, caught in mid-flight is a monstrously large goose known as Maxie, the mascot of the so-called wild goose capital of the world.

This giant bird was first installed back in 1976 and even though she is made of fiberglass, she actually flew into her current spot with the help of a helicopter. Even at 4,000 pounds, she takes flight a bit when the wind is strong enough, turning ever so slightly. The giant bird stands on a tall cinderblock stand on skinny little legs that belay the true weight of the fake beast.

Sumner sits along a migration path that sees a large number (around 100,000) of wild geese land in the local lakes each year, attracting a number of hunters. This has earned the town its fowl nickname, along with the goose-themed festival which has been held there since 1955. There is no mistaking the town's claim to fame thanks to a general theme of geese, of which Maxie is clearly the crown jewel.

Visitors to the giant statue are welcome to try and touch the wingtips but may be hard-pressed to reach them, given that they hover a bunch of feet in the air, measuring in at around 65-feet in length. Luckily, even at its massive size, the bird comes off as more majestic than monstrous.     

Related Tags

Giant Giant Animals Animals Statues Birds

Community Contributors

Added By

kmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Edited By

tylercole, racheldoyle, EricGrundhauser, Michelle Cassidy

  • tylercole
  • racheldoyle
  • EricGrundhauser
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

March 1, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7248
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumner,_Missouri
  • http://www.worldslargestthings.com/missouri/goose.htm
Maxie, the World's Largest Goose
Park Drive
Sumner, Missouri, 64681
United States
39.653388, -93.246027
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site

Meadville, Missouri

miles away

Walt Disney Hometown Museum

Marceline, Missouri

miles away

Jim the Wonder Dog Memorial Garden

Marshall, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Missouri

Missouri

United States

Places 178
Stories 6

Nearby Places

Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site

Meadville, Missouri

miles away

Walt Disney Hometown Museum

Marceline, Missouri

miles away

Jim the Wonder Dog Memorial Garden

Marshall, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Missouri

Missouri

United States

Places 178
Stories 6

Related Stories and Lists

The Ultimate Guide to Bird Monuments

List

By Michelle Cassidy

Related Places

  • World’s largest prairie chicken.

    Rothsay, Minnesota

    World’s Largest Prairie Chicken

    The statue honors the booming birds Rothsay, Minnesota, is famous for.

  • Viaje Fantástico, the bronze sculpture of a naked woman riding a rooster is in Plaza Vieja.

    Havana, Cuba

    Viaje Fantástico

    No one knows the meaning behind this giant sculpture of a nude woman with a fork riding a rooster in Havana.

  • The great auk statue

    Iceland

    Great Auk Sculpture at Valahnúkamöl

    This five-foot-tall bronze bird is a memorial to a species that was hunted out of existence.

  • Alec and his friend.

    Belfast, Northern Ireland

    'Alec the Goose'

    The statue honors a beloved bird that once roamed St. George's Market.

  • Paul Kroegel statue.

    Sebastian, Florida

    Paul Kroegel Statue

    A memorial to the United States's first wildlife refuge warden.

  • Australian-American Memorial.

    Canberra, Australia

    Australian-American Memorial

    From a distance, this statue of an eagle looks like a giant chicken on a stick.

  • The Big Owl.

    Macquarie, Australia

    The Big Owl

    This roadside attraction became locally famous for its unintentionally phallic shape.

  • Nils Olav inspects the King’s Guard after being knighted at the Edinburgh Zoo.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Sir Nils Olav

    This king penguin is a knighted brigadier of the Norwegian Army.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.