Canada Goose

The Canada goose is a large wild goose with a black head and neck with white cheeks, a brown body, and white under its chin. The scientific name of the Canadian goose is Branta canadensis. The Canadian goose is a native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America and usually migrates across the Atlantic to the northern Europe regions. 

The Canadian goose has been brought to the following countries: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. The Canada goose, like other geese, is largely herbivorous and migratory and it prefers to be located near or on freshwater.

The Canadian geese are extremely adept at living in human-altered areas. Canadian geese have formed nesting colonies in urban and agricultural areas where there is food and few natural predators. Because of its excrement, crop depredation, noise, aggressive territorial behavior toward both humans and other animals, and habit of stalking and begging for food, this Canadain goose species has often been considered a pest species, the latter as a result of humans disobeying artificial feeding policies toward wild animals.

In this article, we are going to discuss the Canada goose, its description, habitat, behavior, reproduction, and also a few of the most important and frequently asked questions related to the goose will also be answered. 

Description 

• A Canadian goose can be easily identified by their long black neck, head, and their bill which has comparatively alternative white marks near their chins. Their dorsal area is covered in different hues of brown-grey feathers, with a cream or white tint on the belly and rump.

• The Canadian goose experiences a small degree of sexual dimorphism in which the males are slightly larger than their female counterparts but both of them weigh between 4 to 11 kilograms.

• The Canadian goose is between the height range of 80 to 110 centimeters and a wingspan of around 1.4 to 1.8 meters. Despite having small differences between both the sexes, they appear similar to each other. 

• The newborn babies are called Goslings. Depending on the subspecies, goslings are yellow with grey-green feathers on their dorsal area and sometimes on their heads. They have black bills and feet from birth. To facilitate eating, its beak contains lamella which are comb-like ridges that are around the outside edge. There are seven subspecies, which differ in size, plumage color, white cheek markings, and the presence of a white-collar. Branta canadensis maxima are the biggest of the seven subspecies, weighing around 6.4 kg.

• The largest species of the Canadian goose is B. C. maxima or the giant Canadian goose and the smallest one is the B. C. parvipes or the lesser Canadian goose. The large Canadian goose can weigh up to 11 kilograms and has a wingspan of 2.24 meters.

• The male Canada geese weigh 2.6–6.5 kg on average, with all subspecies weighing 3.9 kg. The female seems very identical to the male equivalents, but is significantly lighter at 2.4–5.5 kg, average 3.6 kg across all subspecies, and is usually 10% smaller in linear measurements. The male Canada goose's call is the honk, whereas the female goose's sound is the hrink. The sounds are similar, but the hrink is shorter and higher-pitched than the male honk.

(Image will be uploaded soon)

Geographic Range and Habitat 

• The Canada goose whose scientific name is Branta canadensis is common to Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Although their range extends throughout most of North America, Canadian geese spend the winter in the continent's south. Despite their origins in North America, Canadian geese have been introduced to ecosystems all over the world. Intentional introduction and vagrancy are both to blame for their spread over most of Europe, Australia, and portions of Asia, including Japan, Korea, and Russia.

• When it comes to the habitat the Canadian goose usually prefers grassy and open habitat as it would be really helpful for them and their diet. Areas that have tall grass and shrubs are usually avoided by the flocks of the Canadian goose as those areas may have a surprise in the face of a predator waiting for them. 

• The Canadian geese prefer to live near water bodies which include ponds. marshes, rivers, or coastlines. Canadian geese are found to be very successful at nearly all the elevations that are from coastal to alpine regions. Due to the presence of the required habitat, the population of the Canadian goose has been well established in the urban and suburban areas where grassy lawns are well maintained. The Canadian goose has also been seen grazing in agricultural lands. 

Food Habits of the Canadian Goose 

• The proper diet of the Canadian geese should only be off high in protein and energy. The diet of the Canadian goose can be generally categorized as herbivorous in nature but they have also been seen to eat small insects. 

• The Canadian goose mainly eats leaves, grass, berries, algae, and roots. The lamella is present on the edge of their bills which usually helps them during gazing and when they want to remove grass from the ground, they with the help of the lamella make a jerking motion with their heads. 

• Plants with a high concentration of secondary metabolites are avoided by the Canadian goose, which helps to prevent stomach problems and poisoning. Aquatic invertebrates, insects, tiny fish, crabs, and mollusks are occasionally eaten, usually during juvenile growth, raising goslings, or breeding, when more nutrients are required. Canadian geese may survive up to 30 days without food if environmental conditions prohibit them from obtaining it.

The Behavior of the Canadian Goose

• The Canada geese eat grains from the fields, they graze on grass and for drinking water, they dabble in shallow water by just tipping forward and extending their necks underwater. 

• The Canadian geese congregate in big flocks throughout much of the year, and many of these birds may be linked to one another. They mate for life, with very low "divorce rates," and pairs stay together all year. Geese mate "assortatively," with larger birds preferring larger mates and smaller birds preferring smaller mates. When it comes to couples, the male is generally larger than the female. The majority of Canada Geese do not breed until their fourth year and just around 10% breed as yearlings, and most pair bonds remain insecure until the birds are at least two or three years old. Extra-pair copulation has been seen.

• During the spring season, the pairs of the Canada goose break out from the flocks and begin defending their territories. The separation of these couples varies depending on the availability of nest sites and population density and big populations, even after many fights, birds may wind up nesting in view of one another, and some populations are semi-colonial.

• Threat displays by Canada Geese may include head pumping, beak opening with tongue elevated, hissing, honking, and vibrating neck feathers. Geese may grip each other by the breast or throat and beat each other with their wings if an invading bird does not retreat. Fighting can lead to injuries.

• The female chooses a nesting place, constructs the nest, and incubates the eggs. For the first week after hatching, she may brood goslings in cold, damp, or windy conditions, as well as while they are asleep. While the mother incubates, the male protects the nest.

• After the goslings hatch, they begin to peck at small objects and spend most of their time feeding and sleeping. The goslings remain with their parents and it could be said that they are highly dependent on their parents for almost a year. As the summer season approaches the Canadian goose’s birds may gather in large numbers at food sources and the places where food is limited and patchy they might compete with each other and the surviving ones are awarded the resort of the remaining food. 

• Even in the middle of the winter, geese may survive in northern locations with some open water and food resources. Geese breeding in the far north tends to migrate great distances to winter in the far south, whereas geese breeding in southern Canada and the conterminous United States move fewer distances or not at all. The Canadian birds tend to return year after year to the same migratory stopover and wintering sites.

• In both spring and fall, migrating flocks often consist of loose aggregations of family units and individuals. Flights often begin at dusk but can begin at any time of day, as birds fly both at night and during the day. They travel in a V configuration, with experienced individuals leading the flock in turns.

Reproduction 

• The male Canadian geese are referred to as ‘ganders’ and the female geese do not have a specific name and are known as ‘geese’. The pairs of the Canadian geese select each other based on a similarity in size which is termed as ‘assortative mating’. The Canadian goose couple remains paired for life and they are said to be monogamous in nature. If one of the mates dies the other partner finds another mate just like human beings. Because of their social nature, pairs of the Canadian geese with their goslings join with other parents in groups called ‘crenches’. They are found to remain together until the next breeding season. 

• Breeding happens once a year, usually from April to May, but in colder regions, it may continue into June. Females are in charge of nest construction and appear to have a favorite mating spot to which they return each mating season. When the female finds a suitable place near the water with a good viewpoint, she gathers twigs and grasses to construct a nest and insulates it with feathers or down. Although Canadian geese attain sexual maturity at two years of age, the first instance of breeding does not generally occur until at least three years of age.

• Canada geese only have one brood every mating season and only re-nest if their first attempt fails. They can lay anything from two to ten eggs. Each egg is laid around a day and a half apart, and incubation begins once the last egg is placed. During incubation, females rotate the eggs on occasion. It takes 28 to 30 days for the eggs to hatch.

• When the eggs hatch, the geese form groups with other parents and their goslings. Goslings are found to be precocial and can leave the nest as quickly as 24 hours after they hatch from their eggs. After they leave their shells the geese and the ganders guide the newborn goslings to the water bodies and food. 

• Despite their capability to leave the nest rapidly, fledgling does not occur until 44 days after hatching on average. The offspring enter the fledgling stage between the ages of 6 and 9 weeks. They do not leave their parents until they return to their birthplace following the spring migration. Canadian geese shed their feathers and are temporarily unable to fly at some time during the mating season. This phase lasts about a month, and they are most vulnerable to predation during this time.

• In the Canadian geese, the parental investment is high during the first year of their offspring’s life. During the incubation period, both the male and female are very protective of the eggs and the nest, and soon after the goslings are born the male tends to move on and just protect the nest from the predators whereas the female guides and raises the goslings. 

• During the mating season, males can be highly aggressive toward predators and other geese. When the goslings hatch, they are quite well-developed, and after just 8 to 10 weeks, they can fly and obtain food for themselves. Despite their talents, youngsters remain with their parents until the next mating season begins when they return from spring migration.

Predation of the Canadian Goose

• A Canadian goose in captivity can live very long and the longest-lived Canadian goose lived up to 80 years. When it comes to captivity the oldest lived Canadian goose was around 30 years and 5 months old. The life expectancy of almost all the Canadian geese in the wild is 12 years. 

• Because of their huge size, Canadian geese do not have many predators. If they feel threatened, they will honk and hiss, typically in conjunction with aggressive gestures. Unattended eggs and goslings are significantly more vulnerable to predation by other birds such as gulls, ravens, and crows. Foxes, wolves, coyotes, bears, dogs, skunks, and raccoons are among the other predators. Humans are responsible for the great majority of deaths since Canadian geese are considered hunting birds.