Canada Goose Identification
Its scientific name is 'Branta canadensis', from the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes)
What I look like
The Canada Goose is a bit larger than the Greylag Goose with a longer neck.
It is easily recognized by the black color of its neck contrasting with its white cheeks and chest.
It has a head and neck of glossy black with an area of pure white.
It can be confused with the Barnacle Goose, but the latter has a different white pattern on its head and gray body plumage.
It has a strong conical bill with a serrated upper mandible.
Its legs are powerful and webbed.
In flight, its short black tail contrasts with its white rump.
As an adult, the tips of the feathers on the upperparts and flanks are light brown forming distinct bars.
Juveniles have paler bars on the upperparts and more irregular and rounded bars on the flanks.
They also have a duller head with brownish-black and a whitish area.
My songs, my calls
The Canada Goose is noisy.
It produces very loud trumpet calls.
It often calls in flight. "a-honk"
How I behave
It is often tame and not very wary.
It is a gregarious bird that lives in communities, especially during migrations when families travel together.
During migration, it forms V or diagonal formations.
In winter, it sometimes joins other geese like the Barnacle Goose.
How I reproduce
The Canada Goose makes its nest on the ground near water.
The nest will be lined with a layer of warm down.
Pairs form for life and both parents care for the young.
They produce one brood per year of 4 to 8 white eggs.
In summer, adults annually lose their large flight feathers (the remiges).
During this 3 to 4 week period when they cannot fly, they can watch over their flightless young.
What I eat
Like all geese, the Canada Goose feeds mainly on plants (aquatic plants, seeds, grasses, herbs).
It finds its food at the water's edge and in the water.
But unlike other anatids, it also often feeds on the ground.
Where to find me
It lives near grassy wetlands (ponds, lakes, and marshes, in parks) …
Along slow-moving rivers and coasts.
The Canada Goose is native to North America, hence its name!
It was introduced to Great Britain for aesthetic reasons and for hunting in Sweden.
When introduced bird populations return to the wild, they are referred to as feral populations.
The Canada Goose can be sedentary, as in France, England, Germany, Norway…
Or migratory when winters are harsh, as in Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Finland).
The Canada Goose can live about 24 years.