01
They like a clear view
Canada geese can digest grass. A close-cut lawn also lets adults see predators while feeding with young. Parks and golf courses have supplied the arrangement. Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Field notebook
Goose facts
Observations from people who know more about geese than this campaign does. Sources attached.
Notes
02
The warning is not subtle
Threat displays include head pumping, an open bill, a raised tongue, hissing, honking, and vibrating neck feathers. If another goose ignores this, matters may become physical. Cornell Lab of Ornithology
03
There are several noises
Loud honks, barks, cackles, and hisses. Goslings have their own calls. Listen to them.
04
Goslings leave early
Hatchlings can leave the nest after one or two days. They can already walk, swim, feed, and dive. Supervision continues. Nesting record
05
Summer flight is temporarily cancelled
Adults are flightless for four to six weeks while replacing wing feathers. Parents usually regain flight around the time their young do. Environment and Climate Change Canada handbook
06
They remember the address
Geese return to the same nesting and feeding sites. Alberta also reports that Canada geese can live up to twenty years. Government of Alberta
07
Some geese stay all year
In mild regions, some birds breed and winter in the same place. Southern populations expanded after reintroduction and found a landscape with abundant habitat. Environment and Climate Change Canada
08
The V remains complicated
An instrumented study of northern bald ibises found that trailing birds could use aerodynamic upwash from the bird ahead. The study involved ibises, not geese. Portugal and colleagues, 2014
External network
Goose Internet
- Life history · Cornell Lab
- Honks, hisses, and gosling calls · Cornell Lab
- Geese in Alberta · Government of Alberta
- Federal goose questions · Environment and Climate Change Canada
- The Wawa Goose · Municipality of Wawa
- Untitled Goose Game · documentation of one difficult goose