Aleutian Canada Goose
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| Aleutian Canada Goose | ||||||||||||||||
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formerly endangered, formerly extinct
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| Branta canadensis leucopareia (Delacour, 1951) |
The Aleutian Canada Goose (Branta canadensis leucopareia) is small race of Canada goose averaging 1700 to 2100 grams. It has the typical black head and neck, white cheek patches, grayish brown back and wings, white rump, black tail feathers, legs, and feet of the species. It is distinguished by a conspicuous white neck ring at the base of the neck that, in adult plumage, is usually greater than 10 mm wide and is subtended by a ring of darker feathers. The cheek patches are usually separated by a black line under the throat and the breast is a pale grayish-brown color, although a small number of lighter and darker breasted birds occur. Similar in appearance to the Cackling Canada Goose, the (B.c. minima) are smaller in size and have a dark breast color with a purplish or brownish cast whereas Taverner's Canada geese (B.c. taverneri) are larger and have a lighter breast color. Both minima and taverneri sometimes have white neck rings but these are usually narrow or indistinct.
The primary threat to the Aleutian Canada Goose has been the Arctic Fox, introduced to the Aleutian Islands by Russian fur traders between 1836 and 1930. The Aleutian Canada Goose was considered extinct until a colony was discovered on Buldir Island in 1962. Since then, the Aleutian Canada Goose has made a comeback and was removed from the endangered species list in 2001.
