From Opus

Photo by Josef
Cayon Lake, Rapid City, South Dakota, USA

Branta canadensis

Identification

76-110 cm

• Light-brown body
• Black neck and head with white chinstrap
• Breast lighter than the rest of the body
• White vent
• Black tail

Distribution

North America and Canada.

Widespread feral populations throughout Europe from escaped wildfowl collections.

Juveniles
Photo by Daddylion
Grand Rapids, Michigan, June, 2009

Taxonomy

Ornithologists named the four smallest subspecies of Canada Goose as a separate species in 2004: the Cackling Goose.

Subspecies^[1]

There are 7 subspecies:

• B. c. moffitti - Large Canada Goose
• B. c. interior - Medium Canada Goose
  • Breeds in northeastern Canada
• B. c. canadensis - Medium Canada Goose
  • Breeds in Newfoundland and Labrador
• B. c. maxima - Giant Canada Goose

Photo by Macswede
Hornborgasjön, Sweden, March, 2010

• • Formerly Great Plains, now only in wildlife reserves
• B. c. occidentalis - Dusky Canada Goose
  • Southwestern Alaska
• B. c. fulva - Dusky Canada Goose
  • Coastal southern Alaska to British Columbia
• B. c. parvipes - Lesser Canada Goose
  • Central Alaska to Canadian prairie

Habitat

Typically wetlands and farmland, occasionally urban settings.

Behaviour

Breeding

The nest is placed near water. The clutch of 3-8 eggs is laid in a shallow depression lined with plant material and down. Incubation takes 25–28 days.

Diet

The diet includes green vegetation, grains, aquatic plants, sometimes small insects and fish.

Vocalisation

Male and female pair off with ahonk and hink, respectively, while in flight.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
2. Wikipedia

• List of references

External Links