The Canada Goose (not Canadian but who cares because I am often guilty of this too) is a bird that we all know in North America and maybe the bird that many people see regularly and give no mind to. Canada Geese are most often seen in public parks and fields and have attained a reputation as a ‘nuisance’ bird because they are associated with large numbers covering massive swaths of land, are incredibly aggressive when they want to be, and are guilty of the poop that we find in the outfield of little league fields. While this is certainly true, Canada Geese are fascinating birds that do not take much effort for a birder, or non-birder, to spend time with and observe.
Canada Geese are a regular part of all 49 mainland states & Canada, and an occasional visitor to Hawaii. They have been seen in the wild as far south as Belize and are an occasional vagrant to Western Europe. Canada Geese were introduced (brought over by humans) to France & Great Britain in the 17th century and quickly established populations. Over the following two centuries, they were introduced in Northern Europe and New Zealand and became a regular part of life in these areas often to the dismay of farmers. These geese are mostly descendants of Eastern US Canada Geese but we’ll get more into the subspecies in that section.
Our monogamous friends are an interesting case of conversation success over the last century. Not that any of us would guess that with over 5 million geese that inhabit North America today they were decimated during the early 1900s due to overhunting and habitat loss, which we now see affecting 100s of other birds in North America. In one extreme case, Canada Geese were effectively eliminated (extirpated) from Ohio after the Civil War, and only with introduction efforts in the 1950s were they brought back to the state and their current levels now.
Reintroduction efforts and more favorable laws leading to the protection efforts of Canada Geese, and other birds alike, have led to some pretty dramatic changes in their behavior over the last half-century. An interesting comparison would be the Snow Goose which is highly migratory. While some subspecies of Canada Geese are still migratory the majority of geese that we may see daily are ‘mutts’ of a mix of the smaller migratory subspecies and the larger less migratory subspecies which, because of their environment, have adapted to become non-migratory. One of my most comprehensive reads on this subject is the Ebird Checklist from Davey Walters & Joel Eckerson on UMass Amherst from October 2023. They go extremely into depth into the different subspecies of Canada Geese and the recent split from Canada Goose to the Cackling Goose. They mention in their write-up “These [the Canada Goose ‘mutts’] are the birds which terrorize kids at parks, block putts on golf greens, and cost the US millions annually in agricultural loss and vehicle damage. These are your lakefront pests, your cute barnyard goslings, your strip mall grazers, and one of the more polarizing birds in the region’s cultural history.”
The subspecies of Canada Goose are quite interesting as often they can be assumed in their range without close examination as these ‘mutt’ geese. These 7 subspecies of Canada Geese differ in their size, geographic range, and plumage color. As mentioned above the Cackling Goose, which looks like a very small Canada Goose, was until 2004 a subspecies of Canada Goose. These two species cause a lot of confusion in their range overlap without careful identification because the smallest Canada Goose and the largest Cackling Goose have some size and feature overlap. The Cackling Goose and some of the subspecies of Canada Goose are still migratory in their ranges with the majority of these being in the Midwest and along the Western Coast. Two notable subspecies of Canada Goose, the Dusky Canada Goose & the Vancouver Canada Goose, are the most noticeable in their differences from the common Canada Goose that we see most often. The Dusky & Vancouver Canada Goose are dark brown in their plumage and lack the pale breast that we commonly associate with Canada Geese. The color of their plumage closely resembles the Cackling goose, but can be told apart but their size – Dusky & Vancouver Canada Geese are about 33% bigger than Cackling Geese on average. These two subspecies share some overlap in their rangers during the migration seasons but differ in their breeding grounds. The Dusky Canada Goose breeds almost exclusively on Middleton Island and the Copper River Delta in Alaska and winter in the Pacific Northwest. The Vancouver Canada Goose breeds in the Glacier Bay area of Alaska and uniquely among Canada Goose they nest in trees while other subspecies most often nest on the ground near bodies of water. While nesting on the ground is not a steadfast rule for most Canada Geese it is the preferred area for nesting and the one found the vast majority of the time outside of the Vancouver Canada Goose.
Growing up on Staten Island, New York, Canada Geese were a regular part of my life. Before I even started birding, Canada Geese (most likely called Canadian Geese by me back then too) were one of the few birds I could identify and have personal stories attached to. It was almost uncommon to meet someone who didn’t have a run-in with Canada Geese, often aggressive, in one way or another. These huge flocks in Miller Field where we would often have baseball games or family events were mesmerizing. Hundreds of geese eating, fighting, and almost suspiciously watching you.
I couldn’t for the life of me remember my first encounter with Canada Geese but by far the most memorable experience was in May of 2022 while I was living in Kansas. I was birding for the day at Burcham Park in Lawrence and while on the lookout for migrating warblers and Baltimore Orioles, I heard quite the commotion on the Kansas River which runs alongside the park. Before my eyes was a goose turf war. I’m not sure the cause of the altercation but with goslings in tow, it could have been an issue over the goslings or purely based on pecking order or a turf dispute. Whatever the cause was the group with the goslings had numbers on the opposing force and cleared them away far quickly. Not without an exciting chase as pictured below.
The next time you see Canada Geese in the late spring or early summer when they are breeding for the season, you might see one or more Canada Geese with what is an unbelievable number of goslings for just one breeding season. Canada Geese as well as many other species of birds, including Emporer Penguins, often raise their young in communal groups called crèches. Effectively members of the gaggle of geese will take turns watching the collective lot of goslings while other adult members feed or run errands. These crèches are the equivalent of a kindergarten class or parental daycare system. While supervised by one or more adult geese, these goslings are given the space to feed, explore, and gain the skills necessary for survival. Canada Geese are also known for adopting abandoned young and taking them into their broods as well – one of the few species that welcome and raise young outside of their collectives.
While people may have mixed opinions on Canada Geese their presence in North America is not going away anytime soon. Their populations have had over a 1500% increase in the past 50 years even with an increase of hunting and population control methods. These geese will remain a constant part of life for many folks. I would urge those to look past the less-than-ideal reputation they have at times to experience and appreciate one of the few wild animals that live, feed, and nest within arms reach to humans. Canada Geese are often the few windows into the animal world that non-birders or wildlife enthusiasts experience and taking some time to watch them can be rewarding in understanding their behavior. Yes, they hiss and may be aggressive when they feel threatened but that is often because we are getting close to their young or invading their space, similarly to how we would act. However, with their populations increasing there are going to be run-ins with humans as we both are trying to occupy the same green spaces.
Those encounters may be inevitable, but their actions are still those of a wild animal and we can try to enjoy them. Since they are one of the very few birds and wildlife that interact with humans so closely it is always a treat when they walk within feet of me at a park or take their sweet time crossing the road in front of my car. I try to appreciate and savor those encounters when they happen, always hoping to get a hiss and when they do – it makes my day.
