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Bird name:

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

GWFG

Code 6

ANSALB

ITIS

175020

Breeding Location:

Grassland with scattered trees, Marshes, freshwater, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Common to fairly common

Egg Color:

Buff, creamy white or light pink. Nest stained.

Number of Eggs:

3 - 6

Incubation Days:

22 - 28

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Plant material and down.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Greater White-fronted Goose: Medium-sized goose with dark-brown body. Underparts are barred and flecked with black; belly and undertail coverts are conspicuously white. Front of face has a white patch. Bill is usually pink. Legs are orange.

Range and Habitat

Greater White-fronted Goose: Breeds in Alaska, far-northern Canada, and Greenland. Spends winters from coastal British Columbia to California, in New Mexico, and along the Gulf coast in Texas and Louisiana; more rarely on the east coast and in the interior. Breeds on marshy tundra; winters on marshes and bays.

Breeding and Nesting

Greater White-fronted Goose: Three to six buff, creamy white, or light pink eggs are laid in a down-lined grassy depression on tundra. Incubation ranges from 22 to 28 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Greater White-fronted Goose: Feeds mostly on grass, sedges, aquatic plants, berries, and grains; occasionally eats insects and mollusks.

Vocalization

Greater White-fronted Goose: Call is a distinctive bark "kla-ha" or "kla-hah-luk."

Similar Species

Greater White-fronted Goose: Other geese lack irregular black spots on bellies and white patch at base of bills. Juvenile (which lacks these marks) has yellow bill, legs, and feet, distinguishing it from juvenile blue phase Snow Geese, which has dark bill, legs, and feet.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Undertail coverts

Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America