LOS ANGELES—What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Maria—the gander—at Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles. Gary Leonard

A goose named Maria, well known in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park for befriending humans, is really a gander, a male goose.

The planned closing of Echo Park for a $65 million restoration is threatening to break up a most unusual couple: retiree Dominic Ehrler and a goose named Maria. WSJ's Vanessa Kaneshiro reports from Los Angeles.

When plans to drain the lake where Maria lived raised concerns about the bird's future, officials transported it to the Los Angeles Zoo, where director John Lewis determined that Maria is male.

Some types of geese display their gender through feather colors and other conspicuous means, but the gender of others can only be determined by examining sex organs.

A page-one story in The Wall Street Journal last month described Maria's predicament and attracted national media attention.

The bird's Echo Park neighbors had noticed that it would walk or fly by the side of a retiree named Dominic Ehrler, while ignoring other geese. Mr. Ehrler called it his "best friend." Locals at the lake called the bird "Maria" and ascribed feminine qualities to it.

On Thursday, Mr. Ehrler was musing on a possible new name for the bird.

Perhaps Maria could become the goose's middle name, such as Carlo Maria.

"I will try Mario on him," Mr. Ehrler said. "If he doesn't answer, I'll stick with Maria."

Write to Alexandra Berzon at alexandra.berzon@wsj.com