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Canada Geese

From coast to coast, the Canada goose, often called the "honker," is known to more Americans than any other species of waterfowl. For much of the country, the musical cries from V-shaped flocks of migrating Canada geese are a regular sign of spring and fall. There are at least six subspecies of Canada geese in Alaska. The six types vary in size from the small cackling goose which weighs only 3 to 4 pounds, to the Vancouver Canada goose, which can weigh as much as 15 pounds. All geese look basically alike; they have a long black neck, black beak, a black head with large white cheek patches that meet under the throat, and black feet. Most geese have a brown-gray to dark brown body and wings, and a white to light brown breast and belly.

Not picky in its choice of habitat, the Canada goose is equally at home on wild tundra ponds or the water hazards of suburban golf courses. The Stikine River Delta is a major stopover for geese migrating through Southeast Alaska. Blind Slough is an important area for geese on Mitkof Island. Most geese build their nests near the water from plant material and line them with down. The Vancouver Canada goose is the most common subspecies of Canada goose in Southeast Alaska. Most Vancouver Canada geese stay in Southeast Alaska throughout the winter, and feed on clams, salmon eggs, and fish.

Canada geese form strong family ties. Adult Canada geese mate for life, and young geese stay with their parents for almost a year after they are born. Families migrate together in the fall, stay together at winter feeding grounds, then return to their nesting grounds together in the spring. This family closeness means that Canada geese will almost always return to their traditional breeding sites. It also allows two or more different groups of geese to breed in the same geographic area without mixing. This has led to the evolution of almost a dozen different subspecies of Canada geese.

Geese communicate with each other through a language of honks, quacks, and hisses. Biologists have identified ten different vocalizations that geese use to communicate in certain situations, such as when predators, other geese, or people threaten their nests. Ganders, or male geese, have even been known to fly at people and strike them with their wings in defense of the nest.

Canada geese can be found from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Mexico to the Arctic Coast of Canada. They are the most widely distributed and well-known waterfowl in North America. Watch for the Canada goose coming soon to a pond near you!

For more information about Canada geese, view the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Notebook Series.