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Bird name:

Canada Goose

Branta canadensisOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Codes: Common Name: CANG Scientific Name: BRACAN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174999

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Canada Goose: Large, long-necked goose with dark upperparts and paler underparts grading to white on vent. The head and neck are black with white chin bar. Body is usually gray-brown, although varies from dark brown to gray in different races. White semi-circle above black tail is visible in flight.

Range and Habitat

Canada Goose: Breeds from Alaska east to Baffin Island and south to California, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Spends winters south to northern Mexico and the Gulf coast.; also a widespread resident in city parks and on reservoirs. Preferred habitats include lakes, bays, rivers, marshes, and stubble fields.

Topo Map: Duck-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"cackle" or "honk-a-lonk"

Interesting Facts

At least 11 subspecies of Canada Goose have been recognized and as of 2004 some of the smaller subspecies were designated their own species—the Cackling Goose.

While their eggs are incubating females lose their flight feathers, so they cannot fly until after their eggs hatch.

Researchers have identified about 13 different calls from Canada Geese. These vary including loud greeting/alarm calls and soft sounds from feeding geese.

A group of geese has many collective nouns, including a "blizzard", "chevron", "knot", "plump", and "string" of geese.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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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.

Canada Goose

● Song: "cackle" or "honk-a-lonk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Canada Goose: Eats a variety of grass when foraging terrestrially; also feeds on agricultural crops such as wheat, beans, rice, and corn. Sometimes tips like puddle ducks when feeding on aquatic plants such as wild celery, sea lettuce, and sago pondweed.

● Breeding & nesting: Canada Goose: Four to seven white eggs are laid in a large nest made of grass and moss, lined with down, and built on the ground near water or on a muskrat lodge; sometimes uses an abandoned Osprey or Bald Eagle nest in a tree. Incubation ranges from 25 to 30 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Canada Goose: Brant is smaller, has black breast, white flanks, small white neck patch, and lacks white cheek patch.

Flight Pattern

Strong deep wing beats., Flies in V formation in migration., Strong powerful direct flight.

● Range & Habitat: Canada Goose: Breeds from Alaska east to Baffin Island and south to California, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Spends winters south to northern Mexico and the Gulf coast.; also a widespread resident in city parks and on reservoirs. Preferred habitats include lakes, bays, rivers, marshes, and stubble fields.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationCommon to abundant

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight134.4 Ounces

Duck-like Body

Underparts

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

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Chin

The area of the face just below the bill.

Vent

Birds do not have two separate cavities for excrement and reproduction like humans do. In birds, there is one single entrance/exit that suits both functions called the vent, cloaca or anus.

Flight feathers

Located on the wing, and collectively called remiges (singular, remex). The long stiff feathers are subdivided into two major groups based on the location and are called primaries and secondaries.

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

Canada Goose

Related Birds

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Duck-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Artist

Canada Goose

Flight Pattern