From Opus

Photo by richard bledsoe
New Mexico, USA

Chen caerulescens

[edit] Identification

• Entirely white except black primaries
• Head and neck usually stained rusty brown
• Pink bill with grin patch
• Dark adults have black bodies with white necks and heads, juveniles dark all over. All intermediates possible.

[edit] Similar Species

Separating from Ross's Goose - Snow Goose has longer neck and bill. Ross's Goose has short neck and stubby bill that lacks grin patch.

[edit] Distribution

Foraging group showing Dark adults (R) and Juveniles (L).
Photo by Gary Clark.
Bay City, Texas, USA

Extreme northern Arctic in summer. Southern U.S. and Mexico, notably along coasts, but also at inland marshy reserves.

[edit] Taxonomy

There are two recognized subspecies.^[1]

• C. c. caerulescens
  • Breeds and winters around the Pacific Ocean
• C. c. atlantica
  • Breeds and winters on land bordering western Atlantic Ocean

[edit] Habitat

Nests of Arctic tundra in large colonies. Migrates southward in winter to marshy areas with adjacent fields.

[edit] Behaviour

Highly gregarious; nest, migrate, and forage in large flocks. Noisy, especially on takeoff. Fly in large V formations.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.

• List of references

[edit] External Links