Snow Goose - Photos by Bruce Dayton - Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)

ORDER: Anseriformes
FAMILY: Anatidae (Ducks and Geese - 52 Species)
SUB-FAMILY: Anserinae
SPECIES: Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)

Snow Goose
The Snow Goose breeds on the Arctic Tundra. Snow Geese in North America have increased to the point where the tundra breeding areas in the Arctic and the salt marsh wintering grounds are both becoming severely degraded, and this affects other species using the same habitat.
SIZE	The Snow Goose is a medium sized (25-31”) goose.
DESCRIPTION	There are two color forms White morph: Entirely white plumage with black primaries. Sexes are similar in appearance. Blue morph: Bluish upper-parts and brownish under-parts with white head. Sexes are similar in appearance.
NESTING	Clutch size ranges up to 10 eggs, which are incubated in 15 to 20 days. Snow Geese nest in groups called colonies. They usually locate the nest close to a body of water. The nest is usually located in a slightly elevated location on the ground, built with plant material (moss, grass, and twigs) and lined with down. The female continually adds her down to keep the eggs warm.
RANGE	This goose breeds in northern Canada and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and winters much further south in the continent in the southern USA.
HABITAT	During migration and in winter, they habitat coastal and freshwater marshes, estuaries, and agricultural lands.
DIET	They eat seeds, leaves, wild grains, grass, roots and grains in fields, sometimes causing significant damage to crops. They pause to feed and gain weight along the way on their slow spring migration to the Arctic.

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The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit.




Snow Goose

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Seneca County, New York


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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes