Snow goose
Snow geese, known for their striking white plumage, inhabit the Arctic tundra during the brief summer months of June through August, ideal for nurturing their young. These geese migrate in large flocks, often reaching altitudes of 20,000 feet, traveling south to North America and as far as Mexico after the breeding season. They measure 2 to 2.5 feet in length with wingspans of four to five feet, featuring distinctive black wing tips and crimson-red bills bordered in black.
There are three varieties of snow geese: greater, lesser, and blue, each differing in size and plumage. Social creatures, snow geese form lifelong pairs, building nests on the ground and incubating their eggs for just over three weeks. The goslings are ready to fly within forty days, and the flock typically migrates in a V-formation to conserve energy. Their diet consists of tundra grass, grains, and some insects, while they face predation mostly during the egg and gosling stages, primarily from arctic foxes and jaegers. Snow geese are believed to have the largest population among geese species and are renowned for their noisy, honking calls.
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Snow goose
Snow geese are suitably named because of their white plumage and the fact that they live some of the year in the Arctic. Very large flocks of snow geese migrate south each year, flying at altitudes of 20,000 feet (6,000 meters).
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anser
Species: Caerulescens
Snow geese live in the Arctic tundra near the water during the months of June, July, and August. These are the months of the short Arctic summer. This location is ideal for raising their goslings, or young, since it is free of human disturbance and pollution, competitors, and predators. At the end of the summer, the geese migrate south in huge flocks to parts of North America and even as far south as Mexico.
Snow geese are 2 to 2 1/2 feet (60 to 75 centimeters) long and have wingspans of four to just over five feet (125 to 165 centimeters). The black wing tips of the snow geese contrast with the white plumage on the rest of their bodies. They also have black borders on their crimson-red bills. Pink legs and feet support their bodies, which generally weigh between five and seven pounds (two to three kilograms). There are three varieties of snow geese, the greater, lesser, and blue snow geese. They are different sizes and have varying shades of plumage, or feathering. The greater and lesser share the same white plumage and differ only in size. The blue goose has gray plumage with blue tinges on its wings and back.
Snow geese are very social birds which live in huge colonies that may have as many as 200,000 pairs during the breeding season. Birds form pairs when they are two to three years old. These pairs remain together and mate with each other for the duration of the bird's lives, which may be 15 to 20 years in both captivity and the wild. Occasionally, a male may mate with two females. On the open tundra, the pairs each build a nest on the ground. Each female incubates her four or five creamy-white eggs for just over three weeks while the male guards her and the eggs. Forty days after hatching, the goslings, or young, have their flight feathers and are ready to migrate south with their parents and the flock. In typical fashion for geese, the flock flies in a v-formation. This formation helps them all fly more easily since it reduces wind drag and the possibility of collision. When the lead bird tires, the geese switch places so it can rest.
The serrated, or jagged, edges of the snow geese's bills are designed for cutting and snipping the short, tough blades of tundra grass. When the geese are in their winter grounds they continue to eat grass, but also feed on wheat, rice, other vegetation, and some insects. They are preyed upon by arctic foxes and large birds called jaegers, though adults are not typically captured. Their eggs and young, however, are more threatened, so the adult geese work to protect their young.
It is thought that snow geese have the largest population of all the other geese and that they are also the noisiest, loudest-honking species.
Bibliography
Logue, Jessica. “Anser Caerulescens (Snow Goose).” Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Anser‗caerulescens/. Accessed 4 May 2024.
“Snow Goose - Anser Caerulescens.” Wildlife Journal Junior, New Hampshire PBS, nhpbs.org/wild/snowgoose.asp. Accessed 4 May 2024.
“Snow Goose Overview.” All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snow‗Goose/overview. Accessed 4 May 2024.
“Snow Goose- Anser Caerulescens.” Avibase, avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=D3A260BCA65503C6. Accessed 4 May 2024.