Snow Goose

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Snow Goose

Conservation status

Least Concern

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Genus:	Chen
Species:	C. caerulescens

Binomial name

Chen caerulescens
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Subspecies

C. c. caerulescens (Lesser Snow Goose)
C. c. atlanticus (Greater Snow Goose)

Synonyms

Anser caerulescens

The Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage.

The American Ornithologists' Union places this species and the other two "white" geese in the genus Chen, while some other authorities place it in the more traditional "grey" goose genus Anser.

Snow Geese wintering at the Bosque del Apache, New Mexico: note blue-phase bird at far upper left

This goose breeds in northern Canada and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and winters much further south in the continent in the southern USA and beyond. These birds migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers.

The larger of the two subspecies, the Greater Snow Goose (C. c. atlanticus), nests to the north of eastern Canada. The smaller subspecies, the Lesser Snow Goose (C. c. caerulescens), commonly occurs in two plumage variants. White-phase birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-phase geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing most of the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. White- and blue-phase birds do interbreed and the young may be of either type. Blue-phase birds are rare among the Greater Snow Geese.

Snow Geese at the Bosque del Apache, New Mexico: note two blue-phase birds in center

This species is a rare vagrant to Europe, but a frequent escape from collections and an occasional feral breeder.

The nest is usually located in a slightly elevated location on the ground, built with plant material and lined with down.

These birds mainly eat plant material found in shallow water or on land. Outside of the nesting season, they usually feed in flocks. In winter, these birds feed on left-over grain in fields.

The population of Greater Snow Geese was in decline at the beginning of the 20th century, but has now recovered to sustainable levels.

Snow Geese in North America have increased to the point where the tundra breeding areas in the Arctic and the saltmarsh wintering grounds are both becoming severely degraded, and this affects other species using the same habitat. Extending hunting of this wary species has made no significant impact on numbers.

Snow Geese are rare visitors to the British Isles, where they are seen regularly among flocks of Barnacle, Brent and Greenland White-fronted geese. There is also a feral population in Scotland.

Lesser Snow Goose (white phase)

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Chen caerulescens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.