Branta canadensis
Canada Geese are large
water birds, although they are not always found near water.
They are very common in our area and can be seen
year-round. A Canada Goose can grow
up to 45 inches long. It has a brownish body with a black
head and a long black neck. It has white cheek
patches. Canada Geese live in
marshes,
lakes, rivers, and ponds. They can be seen feeding in
fields, parks, and lawns. Wyman Meinzer,
USFWS Victor Fazio,
III Canada Geese nest in the
Spring. They build a nest out of grass, weeds, twigs, pine
needles, and moss on the ground, hidden among tall grasses,
cattails, or weeds. Females lay four to eight large white
eggs. Females also sit on the eggs, up to a month, while the
male guards his territory. Sometimes geese build
nests on top of a muskrat house or beaver dam, or they
borrow an old nest of an osprey, eagle, or heron. Canada Geese try to hide
themselves while they nest, because many animals will eat
the eggs, including gulls, crows, skunks, and dogs. When it
senses danger, a goose will lay flat on the ground with its
neck stretched out.
Mark Moran
Canada Geese are
herbivores,
meaning they eat plants. Their foods include: grasses,
cattails, sedges, rushes, pondweeds, Arrowhead, clovers,
water lilies, and duckweed. They also eat crops, such as
alfalfa and corn. In the Summer, Canada
Geese molt
their feathers. This means they are unable to fly while they
shed old feathers and grow new ones. During this period,
they gather in large groups. This is when you often see them
on soccer fields and golf courses. Ecology Group
Fred Siskind, Huntley Meadows Park
Copyright, Richard Ditch,
http://home.earthlink.net/~richditch/ Y.
Kowada Once geese have
their new feathers and are ready to fly again, many
of them will form flocks and fly South. In our
area, though, some geese will stay through the
Winter. When geese migrate
they form a "V" pattern in the sky. Since Canada
Geese are such large birds, they have few
predators
as adults. They are also very agressive when
guarding their territory. Raccoons, Red Foxes,
Common Snapping Turtles, and Virginia Opossums are
animals big enough to prey on geese, although they
will most likely take young ones.
