Canada Goose

A familiar and widespread goose with a black head and neck, white chinstrap, light tan to cream breast and brown back. Has increased in urban and suburban areas in recent years; just a decade or two after people intentionally introduced or reintroduced “giant” Canada Geese to various areas, they are often considered pests. Of course we have all see these around a town lake or pond, but they still deserves to be recognized in any good birders life bird list.

At least 11 subspecies of Canada Goose have been recognized, although only a couple are distinctive. In general, the geese get smaller as you move northward, and darker as you go westward. In a pattern biologists call “assortative mating,” birds of both sexes tend to choose mates of a similar size. The oldest known wild Canada Goose was 30 years 4 months old!