The sight and sound of thousands of Snow Geese returning to the marsh from the fields where they have spent the morning feeding is almost beyond description. The Snow Goose has two color plumage morphs, white (snow) or gray/blue (blue), thus the common description as “snow goose” and “blue goose.” The dark color of the blue morph Snow Goose is controlled by a single gene, with dark being partially dominant over white. Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family:Anatidae). Version 1019 Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bird Banding Laboratory 2019. Most authorities now follow the traditional treatment of placing these species in the "gray goose" genus Anser. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA. Explore Birds of the World to learn more. She starts with a simple scrape in the earth, but as she lays more eggs she adds fluffy down feathers plucked from her own breast (sometimes in very large amounts) and may add material like sea-lyme grass, eelgrass, leaves and twigs of willow and birch, or seaweed. Snow Geese stay with the same mate for life, choosing an individual of the same color morph (white or “blue”) as the family members they grew up with. They are blue when young and become white as they mature. Here is some of what I have learned. If a pure dark goose mates with a white goose, the offspring will all be dark (possibly with white bellies). Hunting was allowed again in 1975 after populations had recovered. Molting Snow Geese can outrun many predators. The female sometimes starts several scrapes before choosing the final location. Creamy white but easily staining to dirty gray. Because Snow Geese nest in remote areas, their breeding colonies have suffered little impact from humans. They grow very quickly, with the males outpacing the females. Enjoy the Post? Snow geese mate with only 1 or 2 mates in a lifetime. They will consume nearly any part of a plant—including seeds, stems, leaves, tubers, and roots—either by grazing, shearing plants off at ground level, or ripping entire stems from the ground. The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. Snow Geese make epic journeys by air, but they are impressive on foot, too. They fly as far south as Texas and Mexico during winter, and return to nest on the Arctic tundra each spring. They choose areas near ponds, shallow lakes, coastal salt marshes, or streams (including river islands), preferring rolling terrain that loses its snow early and escapes flooding during spring thaw. The Snow Goose breeds north of the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern tip of Siberia. Within a few days they are able to maintain a constant body temperature on their own. The Snow Goose has two color plumage morphs, white (snow) or gray/blue (blue), thus the common description as “snow goose” and “blue goose.”, The dark color of the blue morph Snow Goose is controlled by a single gene, with. Snow Geese are strong fliers, walkers, and swimmers (even capable of diving short distances when threatened). During the summer Snow Geese heads’ are often stained red as a result of gathering food in mud containing iron oxides. Elongated oval with variable texture. They … Lutmerding, J. Snow Goose hunting in the eastern United States was stopped in 1916 because of low population levels. Migratory bird hunting activity and harvest during the 2010 and 2011 hunting seasons. They build nests on dry ground when possible—although, being close to melted snow, the site is often moist. After chicks hatch, families move to brood-rearing territories with a lot of grasses and bryophytes, including tidal marshes and wet areas near ponds. The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. Cool Facts The dark color of the blue morph Snow Goose is controlled by a single gene, with dark being partially dominant over white. When choosing a mate, young Snow Geese will most often select a mate that resembles their parents’ coloring. Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). About 400,000 Snow Geese are now hunted annually in the U.S. and Canada. Pair bonds are usually formed in the second year, although breeding doesn’t usually start until the third year. Females are strongly philopatric, meaning they will return to the place they hatched to breed. She may lay the first egg within an hour of selecting the site. Sibley, D. A. (2000). The male may leave the female to defend the nest herself for extended periods. Raftovich, R. V., K. A. Wilkins, S. S. Williams and H. L. Spriggs. The oldest Snow Goose on record, shot in Texas in 1999, was 27 and a half. Snow Geese are strong fliers, walkers, and swimmers (even capable of diving short distances when threatened). If a pure dark goose mates with a white goose, the offspring will all be dark (possibly with white bellies). (2019). This problem can be reduced by switching to steel shot or other non-toxic ammunition. If the birds were hatched into a mixed pair, they will mate with either color phase. The female incubates the eggs and nestlings, spending … Like many waterfowl, Snow Geese can suffer from lead poisoning when they ingest fallen lead shot while foraging. These flocks become especially large … Snow geese start breeding roughly two to four years old and breed in colonies on north of the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern tip of Siberia. A. and A. S. Love. One of the most incredible spectacles I have witnessed as a result of my photography is the migration of the Snow Geese. Within the first three weeks of hatching, goslings may walk up to 50 miles with their parents from the nest to a more suitable brood-rearing area. Goslings may eat fruits, flowers, horsetail shoots, and fly larvae.Back to top. Behavior. (2012a). But they aren’t always white and also have the name of blue goose. In the late 1990s both Canada and the United States began to permit extra hunting to reduce Snow Goose populations. The geese themselves may degrade their own habitat by grubbing vigorously for food during the early breeding season, not only reducing their own breeding success but also compromising nesting shorebirds. The species is not on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List. They use island sites or areas near to small ponds when those are available. They fly south for the winter in huge, honking flocks that may appear as a "V" formation or simply as a large "snowstorm" of white birds.