Branta canadensis

This goose feeds on aquatic vegetation and grasses. It has become an agricultural pest in some areas where it moves from water bodies to fields in order to feed (3). Although often aggressive, this goose is gregarious, occurring in flocks during winter and breeding colonially on larger water bodies (5). The nest, a down-lined scrape, is typically situated among vegetation (5). During early April between 5 and 6 (up to 11) white eggs are laid. The female incubates the eggs for 28-30 days, while the male guards the nest close-by (5). Both sexes care for the young, which fledge after around 9 weeks, and stay with the parents throughout the winter (5).

The Canada goose was introduced to England around 300 years ago. It is now the most familiar goose in Britain (3). This large goose has a long black neck, and a black head with a prominent white patch, which forms a strap around the throat that extends onto the face (2). The body is brown, with paler underparts. The sexes are similar in appearance; juveniles can be identified as the throat-strap is brownish, and the head and neck are duller (2). This vocal goose produces a range of deep honking calls (2), a loud 'aa-honk' in flight and hissing sounds when threatened (5).

The Canada Goose is the goose species most familiar to people living across much of North America, often occurring in large numbers in lakes and parks near cities and towns. This large goose may be anywhere from 30 to 43 inches long with a large body and short tail. Canada Geese may be identified by their brown backs, pale bellies, black necks, and large white “chinstrap. ” Male and female Canada Geese are similar to one another in all seasons. The Canada Goose breeds widely across North America. Migratory breeding populations breed across Canada and winter in the northern half of the United States, while many populations living in human-altered environments are non-migratory. The Canada Goose has also been introduced in Britain, Ireland, and portions of western continental Europe. Wild-type Canada Geese breed in lakes and freshwater marshes, wintering in similar habitats. Non-migratory Canada Geese are habitat generalists, living in ponds and lakes as well as human-altered environments (including golf courses, city parks, and reservoirs). This species subsists primarily on plant matter, including aquatic vegetation and terrestrial grasses. Canada Geese are often present in large numbers where ducks and other waterfowl are fed by humans. Canada Geese may be best observed foraging for food; both on land, where they may be seen walking on the shore or on grass further inland; or in the water, where they may be seen submerging their upper bodies to seek out aquatic vegetation. They may also be observed in the in large “V”-shaped flocks flying on migration or between bodies of water. This species is primarily active during the day.

Threat Status: Least concern

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) Breeds from central and southeastern Alaska east across northern Canada and southern Victoria Island to western Melville Peninsula, northeastern Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern Quebec, and southern Baffin Island (recently naturally established in western Greenland) south to southwestern British Columbia, northeastern California, northern Utah, south-central Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, northern Arkansas, western Kentucky, southern Ohio, Pennsylvania, northern Virginia, and Maryland. Breeding populations in the southern prairie states were extirpated, but many have become reestablished. Birds in eastern states south of Great Lakes and Massachusetts result from relatively recent natural southward extension of breeding range and to great extent from introductions. Feral populations resulting from introductions may occur almost anywhere in the United States (AOU 2004).

Winters from the southern part of the breeding range through most of the United States and into northern Mexico. Introduced and established in Great Britain, Iceland, southern Scandinavia, and New Zealand. Accidental in Hawaii, Greater Antilles, and the Bahamas.

Canada Geese are found throughout North America. There are four subspecies (or populations); each is found in a different area of North America. These subspecies are the southern, northern, western and Aleutian-Canadian populations. The southern population ranges from 60 degrees north latitude to the Rockies and Atlantic Ocean. The northern population ranges north of 60 degrees north latitude in the Arctic and Subarctic. Canada geese travel to the southern parts of the United States during the winter. The western population is found along the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia. The Aleutian-Canadian population is rarely found. A general trend in all subspecies is that they they spend summers in the northern parts of North America, especially Canada, and migrate south to areas of the United States in the winter months.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

Canada Geese are found in the Nearctic region throughout North America. There are four sub-species (or populations) found in different areas of North America. These sub-species are the southern, northern, western and Aleutian-Canadian populations. The southern population ranges from 60 degrees north latitude to the Rocky Mountains and Atlantic Ocean. The northern population ranges north of 60 degrees north latitude in the Arctic and Subarctic. The western population is found along the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia. The Aleutian-Canadian population is rarely found.

All subspecies spend summers in the northern parts of North America, especially Canada, and migrate south to areas of the United States in the winter months.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

The Canada goose is widely distributed throughout North America; it
occurs in or at least migrates through every state and province.
General distributions of each population during breeding and wintering
seasons are given below [1,14,15]:

B. c. moffitti - breeds from central Alberta and British Columbia south to
the central northwestern states; winters in the Southwest
B. c. canadensis - breeds on Baffin Island, Labrador, Newfoundland,
Anticosti Island, and the Magdalen Islands;
winters in New England and the Maritime Provinces
B. c. interior - breeds in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba; winters in the
Midwest and from Delaware to North Carolina
B. c. occidentalis - breeds on Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet;
winters from Washington to California
B. c. fulva - breeds and winters along coast of Alaska and British
Columbia
B. c. maxima - breeds and winters on refuges in the farm belt states,
typically Oklahoma and Kansas
B. c. taverneri - breeds throughout interior Alaska; winters from
Washington to California
B. c. hutchinsii - breeds on western Baffin Island and surrounding islands;
winters on the North Platte River in Nebraska and in
Oklahoma and Texas
B. c. parvipes - breeds from central Alaska across northern Canada;
winters in the same areas as B. c. hutchinsii
B. c. leucopareira - breeds on the Aleutian Islands; winters from
Washington to California
B. c. minima - breeds along coastal Alaska; winters from Washington
to California

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY AB BC MB NB NF NT NS ON PE PQ SK YT MEXICO

Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone, North West Atlantic, Polish Exclusive Economic Zone, Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone, Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone

North America; Oceania

This species has a large range, breeding across tundra in much of Canada, Alaska (USA), and parts of the northern USA, and wintering in southern North America, including Mexico. Introduced populations are now resident in much of the USA south of the normal breeding range, as well as in a number of western European countries.

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

After its introduction as an ornamental species, the Canada goose did not spread away from parks and stately homes until after the Second World War (3). It has since increased greatly in numbers, and its range has expanded throughout Britain (3), although it is not as common in Scotland and Wales (5). Its natural range occurs throughout Canada and northern USA. It has also been introduced to Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Norway (5).

Canada geese have black necks, bills, and heads with a white strap under their chins and occasional white patches on other parts of their body. The body of Canada geese is usually brownish-gray although subspecies have slightly different colors. In some of the smaller subspecies the body is dark brown in color whereas, in some of the larger subspecies, the body is a light gray. The subspecies also differ in their average weights. Underneath, the colors are much lighter and almost white on the tail. During flight the tail shows a white semi-circle just above the black tail. Females look similar to males, but may be slightly smaller.

Canada geese have strong, tapered bills that are bordered with lamellae. Lamellae are teeth-like projections of the bill that are used to cut vegetation. Their feet are black. These geese have large wings that can be used as weapons by thrashing them at intruders. The wingspan of Canada geese ranges from 127 to 173 cm.

Goslings, or young Canada geese, are yellow with some greenish-gray coloring on top of their heads and backs. Goslings in different subspecies are slightly differently colored. Goslings of the darker subspecies have a brownish olive or blunt yellow coloring while those of the lighter subspecies are lighter and brighter in color. These colors fade as the gosling grows into the adult color pattern. All goslings have black or blue-gray bills and legs that become darker as they age.

Range mass: 1100 to 8000 g.

Range length: 90 to 200 cm.

Range wingspan: 127 to 173 cm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

Length: 114 cm

Weight: 4741 grams

Differs from the brant (BRANTA BERNICLA) in having a broad white chin strap rather than a small whitish patch on either side of the neck. Differs from the barnacle goose (BRANTA LEUCOPSIS) by the lack of a mostly white face and by having plain dark wings instead of blue-gray upperparts barred with black (NGS 1983).

Canada Geese are found near waterways in open, grassy habitats such as grasslands, chaparral, and arctic tundra. They also inhabit man-made habitats that are open and grassy, such as golf courses, agricultural land, airports, and parks.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial ; freshwater

Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; savanna or grassland

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams; coastal

Wetlands: marsh

Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural ; riparian

More info for the terms: cover, shrub

Because Canada geese nest in a wide variety of sites, their cover
requirements are not very specialized or specific. Nesting sites that
offer good visibility of the surrounding area, protection from
predators, and are fairly close to the water (within 1 to 94 meters) are
usually adequate enough to support a viable population of geese [4,19].
It is possible that fidelity to nesting sites is so strong that the type
of cover chosen, whether shrub or grassland, is almost irrelevent in
parts of Alaska [3]. Instead, nesting success may depend heavily on the
absence of predators.

More info for the term: tundra

Canada geese occupy a variety of habitats and have diverse nesting
habits. They will usually return to the same nesting spots every year.
The northern populations breed by open tundra, while southern
populations breed near lakes or rivers and forests or open land [17].
Tundra nesters prefer firm ground on small islands surrounded by open
water with good visibility to detect predators [14]. Canada geese
prefer to nest on dry ground but near water and feeding areas. In some
areas reeds are preferred for nesting while bulrush is used more
frequently in others [14]. Canada geese can nest on the ground; on
muskrat lodges; in old nests of eagles, herons, and osprey; on cliffs or
haystacks; or on nesting platforms [1,17]. They also frequent
agricultural land, inland or coastal marshes, and gravel pits.
Reservoirs and lakes surrounded by grasslands and agricultural land are
the most important breeding grounds for western Canada geese in southern
Alberta [15]. This same population uses rivers, reservoirs, and
impoundments in Montana; and marshes, river islands, flooded
bottomlands, and reservoirs in Idaho [15].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K047 Fescue - oatgrass
K048 California steppe
K049 Tule marshes
K050 Fescue - wheatgrass
K051 Wheatgrass - bluegrass
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K063 Foothills prairie
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass - grama - buffalograss
K069 Bluestem - grama prairie
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K071 Shinnery
K072 Sea oats prairie
K073 Northern cordgrass prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K075 Nebraska Sandhills prairie
K076 Blackland prairie
K077 Bluestem - sacahuista prairie
K078 Southern cordgrass prairie
K090 Live oak - sea oats

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES17 Elm-ash-cottonwood
FRES19 Aspen-birch
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES31 Shinnery
FRES32 Texas savanna
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES41 Wet grasslands
FRES42 Annual grasslands

Canada geese primarily use wetland areas dominated by emergent
vegetation such as cattail (Typha spp.), bulrush (Scirpus spp.), sedge
(Carex spp.), and reed (Phragmites spp.). They also inhabit communities
dominated by prostrate willow (Salix spp.), dwarf birch (Betula nana),
and Labrador tea (Ledum palustre) [1,19].

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

16 Aspen
217 Aspen
222 Black cottonwood - willow

swamps, marshes, meadows, lakes and shorelines

Systems

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater

Depth range based on 886 specimens in 2 taxa.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 2 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 0
  Temperature range (°C): 5.940 - 13.008
  Nitrate (umol/L): 2.446 - 3.533
  Salinity (PPS): 30.572 - 33.176
  Oxygen (ml/l): 6.169 - 7.377
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.377 - 0.659
  Silicate (umol/l): 1.811 - 6.162

Graphical representation

Temperature range (°C): 5.940 - 13.008

Nitrate (umol/L): 2.446 - 3.533

Salinity (PPS): 30.572 - 33.176

Oxygen (ml/l): 6.169 - 7.377

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.377 - 0.659

Silicate (umol/l): 1.811 - 6.162
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: Various habitats near water, from temperate regions to tundra. In migration and winter, coastal and freshwater marshes, lakes, rivers, fields, etc. On Admiralty Island, Alaska, commonly perches in trees. In the eastern U.S., common on lawns adjacent to water in urban-suburban areas.

Breeds in open or forested areas near lakes, ponds, large streams, inland and coastal marshes. The nest is built on the ground or on an elevated place (muskrat house, abandoned heron's nest, rocky cliffs, etc.) (Terres 1980). Usually returns to nesting territory used in previous year.

In Britain, the Canada goose can be found on ornamental lakes, as well as ponds and flooded grasslands (5) and reservoirs, gravel pits, canal and river banks (6). In North America it inhabits lakes and marshes in wooded areas (5).

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Found year-round in central part of range. Flocks of family groups migrate together.

The percentage of the population wintering in the north is now higher than in the past, due at least in part to increased availability of planted corn. A large percentage of geese that spend a winter in the Carolinas winter in more northerly locations (e.g., Chesapeake) in subsequent winters (Ecology 72:523).

Some western geese, mainly prebreeders and unsuccessful nesters, make molt migrations to and from molting areas during and after the brood-rearing season; apparently, molters of Pacific and Rocky Mountain populations that leave those regions go to the Northwest Territories of Canada (Krohn and Bizeau 1980). See Johnson and Herter (1989) for information on migration of various subspecies.

In the Mississippi Valley population, fall and spring migration is concentrated in a corridor in central Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin; a major spring staging area is the Kaskaskia River Valley in central Illinois; chronology of departure from wintering areas and of fall migration vary annually (Tacha et al. 1991). See Samuel et al. (1991) for information on fall and winter distribution in the Mississippi Flyway.

Atlantic Flyway population consists of migrant geese and a resident population which generally migrates only short distances; migrant population breeds primarily in Labrador, northern Quebec, and James Bay area and winters south to North Carolina, western Pennsylvania, the western Carolinas, and Mississippi Flyway states.

When on land, Canada geese eat a variety of grasses including Bermuda grass, salt grass, and wild barley. Geese are able to grab hold of each blade and pull it out with their bills by jerking their heads. They also eat wheat, beans, rice, and corn. In the water, the birds stick their head and upper part of their body into the water leaving their tail and back end extending in the air. They stretch their neck out, under the water, and slide their bills across the bottom silt. They also eat a number of aquatic plants such as eel grass, sea lettuce, and sago.

Plant Foods: leaves; roots and tubers; seeds, grains, and nuts; algae

Canada geese eat roots, tubers, and leaves of various food plants which
are usually locally abundant. Some foods include cordgrass (Spartina
spp.), saltgrass (Distichlis spp.), pondweed (Potamogeton spp.), wigeon
grass (Ruppia spp.), bulrush, sedge, cattail, glasswort (Salicornia
spp.), spikerush (Eleocharis spp.), giant burreed (Sparganium
eurycarpum), smartweed (Polygonum spp.), common harnwort (Ceratophyllum
demersum), clover (Trifolium spp.), brome (Bromus spp.), foxtail
(Alopecurus spp.), orchardgrass, bluegrass (Poa spp.), fescue (Festuca
spp.), horsetail (Equisetum spp.), and bird's foot trefoil (Lotus
corniculatus) [1,14]. Canada geese also consume a lot of crops such as
alfalfa (Medicago sativa), corn (Zea mays), millet, rye (Secale spp.),
barley (Hordeus spp.), sorghum (Sorghum spp.), oats (Avena spp.), and
wheat (Triticum spp.) [1,6].

Comments: Grazes on marsh grasses, sprouts of winter wheat (spring), grain (fall); eats clover, cattails, bulrushes, algae, pond- weed, and other plants. Feeds in shallows, marshes, fields. Also eats mollusks and small crustaceans (Terres 1980). Subspecies OCCIDENTALIS of west coastal North America: exogenous sources of lipid and protein are important to energy and nutrient requirements of nesting geese (Condor 95:193-210).

As well as dispersing the seeds of the plants they eat, Canada Geese are important prey for many predators in the ecosystems in which they live.

Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds

Unguarded nests and eggs are targets for predators such as Laricidae, Corvus corax, Corvus brachyrhynchos, Mephitis mephitis, Canis lupus familiaris, and many others. Males send out an alarm by flying into the air and honking as a predator approaches. This alerts not only his mate but others nesting nearby. Females lower their bodies onto the nest and stretch out their necks to camouflage the nest.

Canada geese are also a common game bird, hunted regularly by humans.

Known Predators:

• gulls (Laridae)
• common ravens (Corvus_corax)
• American crows (Corvus_brachyrhynchos)
• striped skunks (Mephitis_mephitis)
• domestic dogs (Canis_lupus_familiaris)
• humans (Homo_sapiens)

Canada goose predators include humans; ravens,crows, and magpies
(Corvidae); gulls (Larus spp.); parasitic jaeger (Stercorarius
parasitucus); foxes (Vulpes, Urocyon, Aplex); brown bear (Ursus arctos);
coyote (Canis latrans); raccoon (Procyon lotor); badger (Taxidea taxus);
and bobcat (Felis rufus) [3,13].

Branta canadensis is prey of:
Laridae
Corvus corax
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Homo sapiens
Mephitis mephitis
Canis lupus familiaris

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Branta canadensis preys on:
algae
Larus californicus

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

10,000 to >1,000,000 individuals

No specific information on Canada goose behavior or activity following
fire has been found. However, fire is used frequently to rejuvenate
southern marshes for waterfowl [12]. In Louisiana late winter marsh
fires provide early spring food for geese when they need it the most.
Shallow marshes and low ridges can be burned in early fall to provide
winter foods that continue to grow throughout the winter [12]. For more
specific information about the effects of fire on plants important to
Canada geese consult this database under the genera Phragmites, Scirpus,
Carex, and Typha.

Pair Data - usually monogamous for life; faithful to natal areas
Nesting season - March through June
Clutch - four to six eggs; may renest if first clutch is destroyed
Incubation - varies between populations; 24 to 29 days
Fledge - varies with populations; 42 to 86 days
[1,14,15]

Mean annual survival rate for Rocky Mountain birds banded on nesting areas: 53% for immatures, 64% for adults (Krohn and Bizeau 1980).

In winter, flocks foraged up to 48 km from roost in Texas (Glazener 1946).

Canada geese have good eyesight, which is necessary for flight. They must move their heads in order to see all the way around themselves. However, their eyes are close to their crowns on the side of their heads, enabling them to see more than 180 degrees (closer to 270 degrees) horizontally and vertically. They have mostly monocular vision. Canada geese have excellent hearing and the ears are located on the side of its head. Canada geese often use body movements to communicate with each other. These geese also have the ability to make at least 10 different calls

Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic

Comments: May be active day or night during migration. Usually feeds in early morning and late afternoon.

It is not clear exactly how long the average Canada goose can live, but there have been two geese that were reported to have lived very long lives. One of them lived to be 24 years old and another reached 23. In captivity, two geese were reported to live to 42 years old. Probably most Canada geese die within their first year of life, as nestlings, fledglings, and during their first migration.

Range lifespan
Status: wild: 24 (high) years.

Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 42 (high) years.

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 364 months.

Maximum longevity: 42 years Observations: One anecdotal report indicated an animal that lived 80 years in captivity (John Terres 1980).

Canada geese are monogamous, one female and one male mate. Pairs form during the winter, during migration or on their wintering grounds, for the next breeding season. Mated pairs may stay together for more than one year, sometimes staying together for life.

Males fight over females with their wings and bills. The winner approaches the female with his head down and neck undulating. He makes hissing and honking noises. The pairs mate either before or after they have found a nesting location.

Mating System: monogamous

The average clutch sizes are 5 eggs although this size ranges from 2 to 9 eggs. The incubation period lasts 23 to 30 days. Incubation must occur immediately after the last eggs are laid.

Females choose the location for nesting and even build the nest without the males. The males defend the territory, nest, and eggs from intruders, such as other geese. Female Canada geese pick nesting sites that have good visibility but are isolated. This allows them to readily see danger approaching and to be difficult to get at. The nesting area also must have open water with low banks so they can have access to water plants and places to get into or out of the water. Swamps, marshes, meadows, lakes, and other such areas are among some of their favorite nesting spots. The Canadian and Alaskan shorelines have expanses of tundra habitat that provide good nesting sites. Canada Geese are are often seen nesting on small islands that don't have very tall grasses or on muskrat houses (which are similar to small islands).

Nests are very simple and are made quickly. Materials that are used are weeds, twigs, grass, moss, needles, and other such materials. After some collection and building, female geese round out a curve or depression with their bodies. They drop the materials around themselves and move the items to get the best fit. From time to time they round out the center with their chests or feet. If there are no items of vegetation the nest may only be a depression in the ground shaped by their chests and feet. Once the eggs are laid, the nest is lined with feathers and down. Down insulates against extreme warmth as well as cold, stabilizing egg temperature.

Females have to leave the nest to eat, rest, swim, and preen. Young geese hatch with the use of an egg tooth on top of its beak to crack open the shell. Goslings keep cracking open the shells until they are completely free between 24 and 48 hours later. All of the eggs in the clutch are fully hatched with in 24 hours. The goslings with in a clutch usually have a gender ratio that is equally males and females.

Breeding interval: Canada geese breed once yearly.

Breeding season: Females start laying eggs during the first weeks of March and continue as late as June in parts of the Arctic.

Range eggs per season: 2 to 9.

Average eggs per season: 5.

Range time to hatching: 23 to 30 days.

Range fledging age: 68 to 78 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)

Average eggs per season: 5.

After the eggs hatch, the family group (the offspring and parents) leave the nest and begin to travel together to feed and seek shelter. Both males and females feed and guard their young. Upon hatching, young Canada geese are able to follow their parents around and leave the nest.

Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)

Clutch size 2-11 (usually 5-6). Incubation 25-30 days, by female (Harrison 1978). Nestlings precocial. Young tended by both adults, remain with adults until next spring. Some individuals begin breeding at 2 years, most by age 3 years.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 132
Specimens with Barcodes: 427
Species With Barcodes: 1

In 1918 when the Migratory Bird Treaty was passed, spring shooting was prohibited in the United States and Canada. This regulated the hunting season to three and a half months of the year. The hunting regulations currently in place are for shooting season limits and bag limits in relation to the amount of birds currently in the population. A quota system was put in place in 1960 to regulate the number of geese shot in a given year.

One subspecies, Aleutian-Canadian Geese, were listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1967. This was due to the introduction of a non-native arctic fox species to their nesting islands. They became predatory on the naturally defenseless geese. This introduction caused the population to decline to approximately 800 individuals. However, in 1990, due to increasing numbers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service changed the listing to threatened. The state of Alaska also changed the species listing from endangered to a species of special concern. Aleutian-Canadian Geese are now recorded around 15,000 individuals and nesting on eight islands.

On the other hand, some populations have grown so numerous, there are many organizations who are trying to regulate the populations of these geese. They see this as necessary because if the goose population continues to rise at its current rate, they will present a very serious problem to their surrounding environment in only a few years. Other organizations believe that the methods and ideas of these organizations are cruel and unnecessary. These groups believe that the growing population is not nearly as threatening as some believe and that they are actually at great risk because of the excessive hunting and death by pesticides that geese populations experience.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: threatened

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

Information on state- and province-level protection status of animals in the
United States and Canada is available at NatureServe, although recent
changes in status may not be included.

None [21]

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2006
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Not Recognized
• 2000
  Not Recognized
• 1994
  Not Recognized
• 1988
  Not Recognized

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Widespread introduced species (3). Protected in close season. May be shot from 1 September to 31 January (to 20 February in areas below high water mark). General licence permits sale of captive-bred birds and their eggs (4).

Population

Major Threats

Comments: Pesticide use is a potential threat; for example, 1600 died in a wheat field that had been sprayed with parathion (see Franson 1994).

Not currently threatened.

More info for the terms: cool-season, shrub, warm-season

Techniques for establishing grasslands for waterfowl in the prairie
pothole region have been described [7]. Fires are also recommended in
these areas to rejuvenate cool- and warm-season grasses. In central
North Dakota cool-season natives should be burned from late March to
mid-May or from mid-August to mid-September. Warm-season natives should
be burned from mid-May to mid-June [7]. Fire can also be used to
maintain grass/forb communities important to geese and prevent the
succession to shrub communities [18].

Canada geese have become a nuisance in the Atlantic flyway states by
overrunning golf courses, beaches, parks, playing fields, and yards
[20]. A chemical repellant, methiocarb, has been applied to grass to
prevent geese from grazing some of these areas [5]. The methiocarb
makes the geese sick but so far has not proved fatal, although the toxic
effects are still under investigation. Canada geese have been killed in
great numbers (more than 200) from the application of the pesticide
parathion in Texas [10]. Golden and bald eagles (Aquila chrysaetos;
Haliaeetus leucocephalus) have been seen feeding on parathion-killed
carcasses. Parathion is widely used near Canada geese wintering grounds
in Texas. Crop depredation from grazing Canada geese is a problem in
the eastern states. Seeding rates of winter wheat can be increased by
34 to 68 kg/ha to compensate for reduced stem densities [9].

Management Requirements: Methods for reducing goose problems on lawns include habitat modification (such as planting vegetation that reduces long-distance visibility or that interferes with take-offs or landings, draining bodies of water, or eliminating palatable vegetation), use of fear-provoking stimuli, and hunting (see Converse 1985, Conover and Chasko 1985, Conover 1991, and Conover and Kania 1991 for further information on resident nuisance geese in the northeastern U.S.). See Conover (1989) for information on the use of methiocarb to reduce damage to grain fields and winter cover crops. See Cummings et al. (1991) for information on the use of dimethyl anthranilate and methyl anthranilate to repell Canada geese from grassy areas. In Wisconsin, farmers rated mylar flags and human effigies as fully successful or at least helpful in reducing crop damage; Av-Alarm (a sonic deterrent) also was effective but not well accepted by farmers (Heinrich and Craven 1990). See Aguilar et al. (1991) for an evaluation of goose alarm or distress calls and screamer shells to disperse wintering urban geese.

See Reese et al. (1987) for recommendations on construction of artificial nesting islands.

Tacha et al. (1991) found no evidence to support the existence of manageable subpopulations in the Mississippi Valley population.

Needs: Protect migratory population in Atlantic Flyway while reducing size of nuisance resident population (USFWS 1996).

Conservation action has not been targeted at this species.

Canada geese can be an exceptional annoyance in Atlantic flyway states by crowding on golf courses, beaches, parks, playing fields, and yards, where their buildup of droppings can be a health risk and change nearby water quality. In the eastern states, Canada Geese have been very harmful to local crops and have forced farmers to plant a lot more winter wheat to compensate for the damage done by these geese.

Negative Impacts: crop pest

Canada Geese have been hunted by humans for hundreds of years. Native Americans hunted them in the spring migration. Eskimos hunted them by taking advantage of the molt that leaves them flightless. Even early white settlers took advantage of these birds and hunted them for food. These birds are still being hunted today in the United States and Canada.

Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material

Comments: Sport hunting accounts for more than 86% of the mortality of fledged geese in Rocky Mountain region (Krohn and Bizeau 1980).