Canada Goose 
Identification - Pictures and Video
(Branta canadensis)
 The
Canada goose is a large gray brown goose, from 22 to 36
inches, with a long neck, webbed feet, and a wide, flat
bill. They have a light tan or cream colored
breast, and a black head and neck, or
"stocking". They have a white patch on
each side of their head like a chin strap. The tail
is black, with a white rump band. The
bill and legs are black. The bill has teeth like structures
around the outside edges, use for cutting. Male and female birds
look the same. Newly hatched birds are covered
with a yellow down. The down will be slowly
covered with feathers as the birds grow, until they look
just like the parents. There are several
subspecies, with a large variation in size.
Photos by Keith Lee.
The camera I use is the Canon
EOS 40D.
Watch
video of a pair of Canadian geese with their young on a pond.
For
other bird videos please visit our Youtube channel and subscribe or like our
videos.
Most videos on my site were taken with the Canon
HG10 camcorder.
Range and Habitat
 Canada
geese, or Canadian geese are the most wide spread geese in America. They
range across Canada in the summer, and much of the U.S.
for the entire year. In winter many northern birds
will migrate to the southern U.S., and Mexico. They
may be found in lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, bays, prairies,
and grain fields. They are often seen on lawns,
golf courses, and in parks. When they travel in
flocks they fly in long V-shaped formations. Often
the first indication that they are flying overhead is
their honking sound.
 Migrating flocks can number
in hundreds or thousands of birds. Scientists
believe flying in V-formations allows the following birds to
use less energy, because they make use of the drag
effect from birds in front of them.
Breeding and Nesting
Male geese are very aggressive, and
during nesting season they will defend their territories
from other geese, predators, and humans. They will
lower their heads to the ground; pump it up and down,
and hiss, often attacking. Canada geese usually breed after their
second year and mate for life. They will often
nest in the same area the females parents did.
They breed in a range of habitats but most nest sites
will be near water, such as ponds or lakes. The
nest is made of grass, moss, and reeds, and is lined
with down. Breeding is timed so that the plants the young birds
will feed on will be plentiful. The female will
incubate 5 to 7 whitish eggs for around 28 days, while the male
stands guard. The young birds, called goslings
start communicating with their parents while they are
still in the egg, with distress calls, greeting peeps,
and calls of contentment. They use an egg tooth at
the top of their bills to break out of the shell. Canada
geese have very strong
family bonds. After hatching the goslings will
follow the parents everywhere. They will be able
to fly in up to 9 weeks, and will stay with
the parents for a year after hatching.
Sound
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They have a variety of calls, but
are best known for their deep honking, which sounds
like ka-ronk.
Listen to goose
honk geese
flock
White
Geese
This was recorded with just the Sony Voice Recorder
ICD-PX312.
For more about recording bird songs and
calls check out Bird-Song-Recording
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Food and Feeding
Canada geese feed on grass, leaves,
stems, roots, flowers, seeds, and berries, foraging
mostly on land. Other foods are insects, crustaceans,
and small fish. They will also forage in water,
sticking their head, and upper body below the surface, stretching their long necks, and using
their bills to scoop food from the mud, and silt on the
bottom. In winter they will feed in fields of crops such as corn,
wheat, rice, or oats. Fights over food occur where the
birds will grab each other's breasts or throats with
their bills, and hit each other with their wings.
To learn about other
favorite birds click here.
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