Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Canada Geese fly in a V-formation to conserve energy, allowing the flock to fly 71% further than a single bird could alone.
- Scientific name
- Branta canadensis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Anseriformes › Anatidae › Branta
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Lakes, ponds, marshes, grain fields, and urban parks.
- Diet
- Herbivorous; primarily grasses, sedges, berries, and agricultural grains.
- Range
- North America, Europe, New Zealand, South America
- Size
- 75–110 cm length; 3–6.5 kg weight
- Lifespan
- 10 to 24 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Pollution, lead poisoning from fishing tackle, and collisions with aircraft.
- Safe to approach?
- Generally harmless but highly defensive during nesting season. Maintain a distance of at least 15 feet. If a goose hisses or charges, maintain eye contact and back away slowly; do not run or turn your back. Avoid feeding them, as it encourages aggressive behavior and poor nutrition.
The Canada goose ( Branta canadensis ) is a large wild goose species with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. Native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, its migration occasionally reaches northern Europe. It has been introduced to the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands. Like most geese, the Canada goose is primarily herbivorous and normally migratory; it tends to be found on...
Photo: John Barkla, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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