Scientific Name:   Branta canadensis

Length:   29.9-43.3 in (76-110 cm)

Weight:   105.8-317.5 oz (3000-9000 g)

Wingspan:   50.0-66.9 in (127-170 cm)

Nest:   May mate for life, and the site is usually on slightly elevated dry ground near water, with good visibility. They may nest on cliff ledges, on muskrat houses, in trees, on artificial platforms. The shape is a slight depression with shallow bowl of sticks, grass, weeds, moss, lined with down.

Eggs:   4-7, sometimes 2-11. White, becoming nest-stained. Incubation is by female, 25-28 days; male stands guard nearby.

Feeding Behavior:   Canada Geese feed by dabbling in the water or grazing in fields and large lawns, and forages mostly by grazing while walking on land; also feeds in water, submerging head and neck, sometimes eating stems and shoots of grasses, sedges, aquatic plants, also seeds and berries; consumes many cultivated grains. Occasionally eats some insects, mollusks, crustaceans, sometimes small fish.

Young:   Parents lead young from nest 1-2 days after hatching. Young are tended by both parents, but feed themselves. Age at first flight varies, usually 7-9 weeks, tending to be longer in the largest forms.

Range:   The geese frequent lakes, rivers, ponds, or other small or large bodies of water, and in yards, park lawns, and farm fields. The local population followed rigid migratory path, with traditional stopovers and wintering areas. Nesting habitats include tundra, fresh marshes, salt marshes, lakes in wooded country.

Brief Description:   They have a black head with white cheeks and chinstrap, black neck, tan breast, and brown back. Different populations vary greatly in size and body color (from white-chested to very dark). Local forms vary greatly in size, and the smallest ones are now regarded as a separate species, Cackling Goose.