Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis)
by Wanda Gorsuch

Common Names: Honker, Canada

The Canada goose is easy to identify, even for people not familiar with birds.  A common sight, it is not surprising that the Canada goose is the most widely distributed goose in North America.  Though Canada’s have been studied intensively, their exact taxonomy is still under dispute.  Currently, genetic studies show that there are 2 different groups of sub-species.  The large-bodied group has 7 sub-species which nest interiorly and to the south of tundra areas.  The small-bodied group, or Tundra goose group, has 4 sub-species which mainly breed in tundra areas.  It is not always possible to identify which Canada goose sub-species you are looking at as their ranges overlap and individual geese can have a large variation in plumage shades.

Large-bodied group:

• Atlantic Canada Goose
• Hudson Bay Canada Goose
• Giant Canada Goose
• Moffit (or Great Basin) Canada Goose
• Lesser Canada Goose
• Dusky Canada Goose
• Vancouver Canada Goose

Small-bodied group (Tundra Goose):

• Richardson’s (or Hutchin’s) Goose
• Taverner’s (or Alaska) Goose
• Cackling Goose
• Aleutian Goose

Identification:

Unlike ducks, there is no difference in plumage between sexes or ages in Canada geese.  Female geese can be slightly smaller in size then the males.  The Canada goose is quite distinct with its black head and neck and white cheek markings that extend from behind the eye down to the throat.  All sub-species have a black bill, black legs and feet, gray brown to dark brown back and wings with a mouse grey to dark brown chest.

Actual size of a Canada goose can depend on which sub-species you are looking at.  For example, the largest Canada goose, aptly named Giant Canada goose, weighs an average of 4.8 kg.  The smallest goose (Cackling Canada goose) weighs in at only 1.3 kg.  Overall length ranges from 55cm to 110cm.

Distribution:

Canada’s can be found pretty much throughout the whole of North America.  During breeding season nesting Canada geese can be found in every Canadian province and 48 mainland US states.  Winter distribution is similarly wide spread, from British Columbia south to northern Mexico and east across North America.  Canada geese have been introduced to New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and northern Europe.

Habitat

The large number of sub-species and their wide distribution means that there is really no one habitat associated with Canada’s.  Their incredible adaptability means they can be found such diverse habitats as sage semi-desert to temperate rain forest and arctic tundra.  Breeding habitat includes temperate to low-arctic areas, such as treeless and forested areas, prairies and parklands, arctic coastal plains, mountain meadows, managed refuges and urban areas.

In winter, Canada geese favor mudflats, shallow tidal waters, salt-water marshes beside grain or cover crops, wet grasslands, freshwater marshes, lakes, reservoirs and rivers.

Food

Canada geese are mostly herbivorous.  As a result, what they eat is determined by what is seasonally available, along with nutritional content.  During the summer growth period, pre-migration and migration periods Canada geese feed mostly on grasses and sedges.  After fledging and during fall and winter, Canada’s will feed on foods higher in carbohydrates such as berries or seeds, including grain crops.

Reproduction

Canada geese normally form long-term pair bonds, usually at 2 or 3 years of age.  There is a tendency for both sexes, but especially females, to return to where they were hatched when they begin nesting.  Exact nest sites are variable among the different sub-species, but usually nests are located on slightly elevated ground near water.  Canada geese regularly reuse old nest sites.

The number of eggs laid varies among the sub-species and ranges between 2 – 8 eggs.  Eggs are generally laid in the afternoon and evening, about 35 hours apart.  Only the female incubates the eggs.  The length of incubation depends on the body size and how far north the nest is.  For example, average incubation length in the Cackling Canada goose is 25 days, for the Richardson Canada goose it is 26 – 27 days and 28 days for the Giant Canada goose and Dusky Canada goose.

All eggs hatch within 12 – 24 hours of each other.  Goslings are ready to leave the nest 24 hours after hatching and are able to walk, swim, feed and dive.  In the fall, young will leave the breeding grounds with their parents.  In the large-body species, young will stay with their parents throughout their first year.

Conservation and Management

Since the 1940’s the number of Canada geese in North America has increased to around 5 million, a success story for wildlife management.  However, some sub-species are still struggling.  For example, the Dusky Canada has a relatively small population, due to limited nesting habitat in Alaska from the 1964 earthquake.  There is also the Aleutian Canada who was listed as an endangered species until a few years ago.

With an increase in numbers, managers are now being asked to limit future population growth.  Hunting remains a preferred management option where it is legal. 

For more information on the Canada Goose:

Bellrose, F.C.  1976.  Ducks, geese and swans of North America, 2nd edition. Stackpole Books, Pennsylvania.

Johnsgard, P.A.  1978.  Ducks, geese and swans of the world. University of Nebraska Press, Nebraska.

Mowbray, T.B., C.R. Ely, J.S. Sedinger, and R.E. Trost.  2002.  Canada Goose (Branta canadensis). In The Birds of North America, No. 682 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.