Species Profile: Canada Geese
By Lori Paradis Brant, Teacher Naturalist
Connecticut Audubon Center at Fairfield

A sure sign that those hot summer days are here is spotting family groups out for a walk on the grass or a swim in a local body of water. This sighting is not of a human family group, but a family of Canada geese, consisting of a male, female and an average five to seven goslings, or young. Fascinating to watch from a distance, Canada geese, Branta canadensis, are extraordinary animals that have become common to the Connecticut landscape. Often overlooked and frequently maligned,Canada geese have some fascinating traits and provide yet another valuable insight into nature.

One of the most common waterfowl, the Canada goose is found to live in or at least migrate through, all of North America. If you have ever observed a large flock of Canada geese, you may have noticed some differences amongst them. Unbeknownst to many, there are actually 11 to 22 subspecies, or races of Canada geese. There is one sub- species that does not migrate but remains in Connecticut throughout the year. Canada geese vary in size from 16–25 inches long with wingspans of 50–68 inches with weight that fluctuate from three to 14 pounds. These dark grayish-brown geese have black tail and flight feathers, long black necks, and patches of white found on their cheeks. The genders are usually hard to differentiate, although the male is often a bit larger and defends the nest while his mate incubates the eggs.

Often labeled herbivorous grazers as they feed extensively on tender, young plants such as cattails, pondweed, grasses, clover, and other green shoots, Canada geese do eat small invertebrates as well. Seen in ponds with their head submerged underwater and tail sticking high out of the water, they are feeding on various aquatic life such as insects, insect larvae, snails, and small clams and mussels. Their glossy black bill has tooth-like serrations on the edges, which helps them to strain food out of the water and to clip plants that are growing in the ground.

Canada geese feed in open, grassy areas that provide easy accessibility and good visibility to open water. Since they often walk to and from their feeding areas, habitats with good clarity provide protection from predators such as coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and humans. With an eye placed on each side of their head, geese have a range of sight that circles almost all the way around them; an aid them in spotting would-be predators and other invaders.

Protective Parents
In the late spring and summer, this wide field of view is needed as parent geese are on constant lookout for any intruders that may harm their young. Not only do goslings have the same predators as their parents, but due to their smaller size and inability to fly, they may fall prey to snapping turtles, gulls, owls, and hawks. When still in the egg, skunks, weasels, and raccoons may prey upon the nest.

Under the gander’s watchful eye, the female goose makes a nest out of soft plant material such as reeds and grasses. Once on the nest, she pulls the soft, downy feathers from her breast to line the nest and begins to lay and incubate her eggs. The gander, or male, staunchly guards his mate and their eggs. She keeps the nest at a humid temperature between 100 –101 degrees F. If the female leaves the nest for food and water, she will cover the eggs with down and grass until she returns. The water that drips off her feathers helps to keep the nest humid, which is necessary for proper growth of the embryos. The gander will chase away anything that threatens his mate or his nest by sending a loud warning honk, then stretching his neck out low to the ground, shaking his head back and forth, and charging the invader.

Growing Up Quickly
After approximately a month of incubation, the goslings hatch. Using a strong projectile on the tip of their bill called the egg tooth, the young crack the shell and emerge. Within 24 hours, the goslings are led to water. Canada geese are precocial, which means they hatch covered in down and have the ability to walk, run, swim, and eat a day after they have emerged from their shells.

The young imprint on their parents. Geese are not born with the knowledge of how to live and survive like geese. By carefully watching their parents, goslings learn where and how to find food, water, shelter as well as how to communicate with other members of their species. They are also taught to fear predators, fly, and swim.
Upon hatching, the downy covered goslings are very well camouflaged, as their feathers are a yellowish olive green color. When threatened, they flatten their bodies and look like a mound of grass. If they are threatened from above while in the water, they can dive as deep as 35 feet to evade the predator. When the goslings are about a month old, feathers start to replace the fuzzy down. They begin to look more and more like the adult as the weeks progress.
At six weeks of age, the colorings are similar to their parents, although the gosling’s white isn’t as brilliant and the black is not quite as glossy. An eight-week-old gosling weighs 24 times its birth weight. Imagine an eight pound human baby at 2 months of age weighing 188 pounds! The reason for this steady gain is so the young can be strong enough to migrate to the wintering grounds in the autumn. Wings stretch and flap at this age to exercise the muscles to get ready to fly. About the same time the goslings are beginning to beat their wings and make short flights, the parent birds are starting to grow back their flight feathers they shed a month earlier. Soon, the entire family will begin its annual migration southward.

Migration is an event that is still not entirely understood by scientists. It is known that most Canada geese travel the same routes or paths each year and arrive at the same wintering and breeding grounds. These routes are so well established that several populations of Canada geese result. For example, throughout the Atlantic Flyway, of which Connecticut is a part, the North Atlantic population can be found migrating, wintering, breeding, and nesting in the same areas each year. This population of Canada geese may progress from northeastern Canada in the summer months through New England, and down to North Carolina for the winter.

These magnificent birds may migrate both by day and by night, stopping often for rest, food, and water. Geese and swans make their migration in family groups and are led by experienced adults who have made the trip before.  It is believed that they find their way by watching for familiar landmarks, such as mountains, cities, rivers, and lakes. It is also likely that the position of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky as well as the earth’s magnetic field helps them to find their way.

When flying together, Canada geese will often form a V-shaped pattern. The lead goose has the most exerting job, as it must break the wind. As the geese flap their wings, an uplift is created which makes it easier for the geese flying at the end of the formation. Oftentimes you may hear the geese flying overhead before you actually see them. Communication is a vital part of the social bonds of Canada geese and they will honk their encouragement to each other to keep their speed up, which can reach speeds of 60 mph.

Buddies For Life
If a member of the flock drops down due to illness or exhaustion, others may fly down to the ground and stay with the bird until it is either ready to rejoin the flock or unable to continue. Canada geese form strong social bonds as they mate for life, nurture their young, and communicate often with each other.
A Canada goose is seldom seen alone; it is most likely to be with a mate, in a family group, or with a flock of other geese. Adults may be heard honking for several reasons: alarm and distress, encouragement, or greeting a mate or family member. They may hiss to chase off intruders and make softer calls to utter contentment. Goslings peep rapidly when separated from parents and form laughing-type sounds that symbolize comfort.
Connecticut’s resident Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) are a non-migratory, imported race that live in local parks get so accustomed to people feeding them that they will walk right up to a person; however, it is important to remember that Canada geese are wild animals. They do not like to touched, chased, or surrounded. They will defend themselves and their families if they feel threatened. If a goose is hissing, bobbing its head, and/or shaking its neck back and forth, it is telling you that you are seen as a threat and should back away.
Canada geese, as with all wild animals, can be best observed and enjoyed from a distance. By sitting silently, listening to the geese communicating, and unobtrusively viewing their behavior you may learn how these interesting creatures bond and socialize with each other!

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