Four Little Miracles
by Jeff Swan
Title
Four Little Miracles
Artist
Jeff Swan
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Canada Goose
For the outerwear manufacturer, see Canada Goose (clothing).
Canada Goose
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Subfamily: Anserinae
Tribe: Anserini
Genus: Branta
Species: B. canadensis
Binomial name
Branta canadensis
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
B. c. occidentalis Dusky Canada Goose, (Baird, 1858)
B. c. fulva Vancouver Canada Goose, (Delacour, 1951)
B. c. parvipes Lesser Canada Goose, (Cassin, 1852)
B. c. moffitti Moffitt's Canada Goose, (Aldrich, 1946)
B. c. maxima Giant Canada Goose, (Delacour, 1951)
B. c. interior Interior Canada Goose, (Todd, 1938)
B. c. canadensis Atlantic Canada Goose, (Linnaeus, 1758)
Canada Goose distribution, including native (dark tones) and introduced (light tones) populations
Canada Goose summer: yellow
Canada Goose all year: green
Canada Goose winter: blue
Cackling Goose summer: pink
The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) is a goose with a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body. Native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, it is occasionally found in northern Europe, and has been introduced to other temperate regions.
Table of Contents
1 Taxonomy and etymology
2 Description
3 Distribution and habitat
3.1 Outside North America
4 Behavior
4.1 Diet
4.2 Reproduction
5 Relationship with humans
6 Migration
7 References
8 External links
Taxonomy and etymology
The Canada Goose was one of the many species described by Carl Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae.[2] It belongs to the Branta genus of geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey species of the Anser genus. The specific epithet canadensis is a New Latin word meaning "from Canada". According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first citation for the 'Canada Goose' dates back to 1772. The Canada Goose is often incorrectly referred to as the "Canadian Goose".[3][4][5]
The Cackling Goose was originally considered to be the same species or a subspecies of the Canada Goose, but in July 2004 the American Ornithologists' Union's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature split the two into two species, making Cackling Goose into a full species with the scientific name Branta hutchinsii. The British Ornithologists' Union followed suit in June 2005.[6]
The AOU has divided the many subspecies between the two animals. To the present species were assigned:
Atlantic Canada Goose, Branta canadensis canadensis
Interior Canada Goose, Branta canadensis interior
Giant Canada Goose, Branta canadensis maxima
Moffitt's Canada Goose, Branta canadensis moffitti
Vancouver Canada Goose, Branta canadensis fulva
Dusky Canada Goose, Branta canadensis occidentalis
part of "Lesser complex", Branta canadensis parvipes
The distinctions between the two geese have led to confusion and debate among ornithologists. This has been aggravated by the overlap between the small types of Canada Goose and larger types of Cackling Goose. The old "Lesser Canada Goose" was believed to be a partly hybrid population, with the birds named taverneri considered a mixture of minima, occidentalis and parvipes. In addition, it has been determined that the Barnacle Goose is a derivative of the Cackling Goose lineage, whereas the Hawaiian Goose is an insular representative of the Canada Goose.
Description
Yellow plumage of gosling
The black head and neck with a white "chinstrap" distinguish the Canada Goose from all other goose species, with the exception of the Barnacle Goose, but the latter has a black breast, and also grey, rather than brownish, body plumage.[7] There are seven subspecies of this bird, of varying sizes and plumage details, but all are recognizable as Canada Geese. Some of the smaller races can be hard to distinguish from the Cackling Goose, which slightly overlap in mass. However, the Cackling Goose is usually considerably smaller, scarcely larger than a Mallard with a much shorter neck and smaller bill.
This species ranges from 75 to 110 cm (30 to 43 in)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/ in length and has a 127185 cm (5073 in)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/ wingspan.[8] The male usually weighs 3.26.5 kg (7.114 lb)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/, and can be very aggressive in defending territory. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter at 2.55.5 kg (5.512 lb)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/, generally 10% smaller in linear dimensions than its male counterpart, and has a different honk. Among standard measurements, the wing chord can range from 39 to 55 cm (15 to 22 in)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/, the tarsus can range from 6.9 to 10.6 cm (2.7 to 4.2 in)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/ and the bill can range from 4.1 to 6.8 cm (1.6 to 2.7 in)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/. The largest subspecies is the B. c. maxima, or the "Giant Canada Goose", and the smallest (with the separation of the Cackling Goose group) is B. c. parvipes, or the "Lesser Canada Goose".[9] An exceptionally large male of race B. c. maxima, which rarely exceed 8 kg (18 lb)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/, weighed 10.9 kg (24 lb)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/ and had a wingspan of 2.24 m (7.3 ft)Template:Convert/track/abbr/onTemplate:Convert/track/adj/. This specimen is the largest wild goose ever recorded of any species. The life span in the wild of geese that survive to adulthood ranges 1024 years.[10]
Distribution and habitat
CGshoreWS.ogv
Canada Geese on Spokane River, Washington.
A flock near a weir on the Humber River near Raymore Park in Toronto, Ontario.
A Canada Goose in Saddle River County Park.
This species is native to North America. It breeds in Canada and the northern United States in a variety of habitats. Its nest is usually located in an elevated area near water such as streams, lakes, ponds and sometimes on a beaver lodge. Its eggs are laid in a shallow depression lined with plant material and down. The Great Lakes region maintains a very large population of Canada Geese.[citation needed]
By the early 20th century, over-hunting and loss of habitat in the late 19th century and early 20th century had resulted in a serious decline in the numbers of this bird in its native range. The Giant Canada Goose subspecies was believed to be extinct in the 1950s until, in 1962, a small flock was discovered wintering in Rochester, Minnesota, by Harold Hanson of the Illinois Natural History Survey.[11] In 1964, the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center was built near Jamestown. Its first director, Harvey K. Nelson, talked Forrest Lee into leaving Minnesota. Forrest Lee would head the centers Canada Goose production and restoration program. Forrest soon had 64 pens with 64 breeding pairs of screened, high-quality birds. The project involved private, state and federal resources and relied on the expertise and cooperation of many individuals. By the end of 1981, more than 6,000 giant Canada Geese had been released at 83 sites in 26 counties in North Dakota. [12] With improved game laws and habitat recreation and preservation programs, their populations have recovered in most of their range, although some local populations, especially of the subspecies occidentalis, may still be declining.[citation needed]
In recent years, Canada Goose populations in some areas have grown substantially, so much so that many consider them pests for their droppings, bacteria in their droppings, noise, and confrontational behavior. This problem is partially due to the removal of natural predators and an abundance of safe, man-made bodies of water near food sources, such as those found on golf courses, in public parks and beaches, and in planned communities. Due in part to the interbreeding of various migratory subspecies with the introduced non-migratory Giant subspecies, Canada Geese are frequently a year-around feature of such urban environments.[citation needed]
Contrary to its normal migration routine, large flocks of Canada Geese have established permanent residence in Esquimalt, British Columbia, on Chesapeake Bay, in Virginia's James River regions, and in the Triangle area of North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill), and nearby Hillsborough. Some Canada Geese have taken up permanent residence as far south as Florida, in places such as retention ponds in apartment complexes. Large resident populations of Canada Geese are also present in much of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California.
Outside North America
Europe
Canada Geese have reached northern Europe naturally, as has been proved by ringing recoveries. The birds are of at least the subspecies parvipes, and possibly others. Canada Geese are also found naturally on the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Siberia, eastern China, and throughout Japan.[citation needed]
Canada Geese have also been introduced in Europe, and have established non-migratory populations in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Scandinavia. Semi-tame feral birds are common in parks, and have become a pest in some areas. In the early 17th century, explorer Samuel de Champlain sent several pairs of geese to France as a present for King Louis XIII. The geese were first introduced in Britain in the late 17th century as an addition to King James II's waterfowl collection in St. James's Park.[citation needed]
New Zealand
Main article: Canada Geese in New Zealand
Canada Geese were introduced as a game bird into New Zealand and have become a problem in some areas by fouling pastures and damaging crops. They were protected under the Wildlife Act 1953 and the population was managed by Fish and Game New Zealand who culled excessive bird numbers. In 2011 the government removed the protection status allowing anyone to kill the birds.[13]
Behavior
Branta canadensis call
Call
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Flying in New Jersey, US
Like most geese, the Canada Goose is naturally migratory with the wintering range being most of the United States. The calls overhead from large groups of Canada Geese flying in V-shaped formation signal the transitions into spring and autumn. In some areas, migration routes have changed due to changes in habitat and food sources. In mild climates from California to the Great Lakes, some of the population has become non-migratory due to adequate winter food supply and a lack of former predators.[citation needed]
Diet
Canada Geese are primarily herbivores,[14] although they sometimes eat small insects and fish.[15] Their diet includes green vegetation and grains. The Canada Goose eats a variety of grasses when on land. It feeds by grasping a blade of grass with the bill, then tearing it with a jerk of the head. The Canada Goose also eats beans and grains such as wheat, rice, and corn when they are available. In the water, it feeds from silt at the bottom of the body of water. It also feeds on aquatic plants, such as seaweeds.[10] In urban areas, they are also known to pick food out of garbage bins.
Reproduction
During the second year of their lives, Canada Geese find a mate. They are monogamous, and most couples stay together all of their lives.[10] If one dies, the other may find a new mate. The female lays from 29 eggs but an average of five and both parents protect the nest while the eggs incubate, but the female spends more time at the nest than the male.[16]
Known egg predators include coyotes,[17] Arctic Foxes, Northern Raccoons, Red Foxes, large gulls, Common Raven, American Crows and bears.[18]
The incubation period, in which the female incubates while the male remains nearby, lasts for 2428 days after laying. As the annual summer molt also takes place during the breeding season, the adults lose their flight feathers for 2040 days, regaining flight at about the same time as their goslings start to fly.[19]
Adult geese are often seen leading their goslings in a line, usually with one parent at the front, and the other at the back. While protecting their goslings, parents often violently chase away nearby creatures, from small blackbirds to lone humans that approach, after warning them by giving off a hissing sound and will then attack with bites and slaps of the wings if the threat does not retreat or has seized a gosling. Most of the species that prey on eggs will also take a gosling. Although parents are hostile to unfamiliar geese, they may form groups of a number of goslings and a few adults, called cres.[citation needed]
The offspring enter the fledging stage any time from 6 to 9 weeks of age. They do not leave their parents until after the spring migration, when they return to their birthplace. Once they reach adulthood, Canada Geese are rarely preyed on, but (beyond humans) are taken by Coyotes, Gray Wolves, Snowy Owls, Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles.[18]
Relationship with humans
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June 9th, 2013
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