Chen caerulescens
The yearly migrations of Snow Geese are among North America's natural highlights. In spring and fall, great clouds of these white-and-black migrants fill the skies with their calls. Because they are slow to return to their wintering grounds, the fall migration is perhaps the best time to watch for these birds in the mountains. Snow Geese use low-elevation passes to cross the mountains, and they occasionally stop to feed in low-lying wetlands. Unlike Canada Geese, which fly in well-formed Vs, migrating Snow Geese usually form unorganized, oscillating, wavy lines. Tens of thousands of birds gather and cover the fields like snow when they arrive at their wintering grounds in California, New Mexico and Texas. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: white overall; black wing tips; dark pink feet and bill; dark 'grinning patch' on bill; plumage is occasionally stained rusty by iron in the water. 'Blue Goose': white head; blue-gray body plumage. Immature: gray plumage; dark bill and feet. Size: L 28-33 in. (71-84 cm); W 59 in. (150 cm). Range: common migrant in Idaho and Montana; rare migrant elsewhere in the Rockies. Habitat: shallow wetlands, lakes and fields in low passes. Nesting: on the shores of Hudson Bay, the Beaufort Sea and arctic islands; often colonial; on a tussock or other small mound; nest is usually made of mud, grass and moss and lined with down plucked from the female. Feeding: grazes on waste grain and new sprouts; also eats aquatic vegetation, grass and roots. Voice: loud, nasal, constant houk-houk. Similar Species: Ross' Goose: smaller; lacks the black 'grin.' Tundra Swan and Trumpeter Swan: larger; wing tips are not black. American White Pelican: much larger; larger bill; black in its wings extends much further toward its body. |
