See all posts in the Birds of Carver County series
Our Canada Goose — it’s known within our county’s parks, our ponds, the cattail wetlands and in agricultural fields. The scientific name, Branta canadensis, is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word for a charred or dark-colored species, and a Latin word meaning “of Canada.” One of its nicknames is much easier to understand: “honker.”
At least 10 different races or sub-species are spread geographically throughout North America and present a wide variety of sizes. But all have basically the same color pattern: long black neck, white cheek patch like a chin strap, a brown-gray body, variable light chest shades, white lower belly and black tail feathers.
Adults range from 24”to 45” long, and a wingspan of 36”to 60”. In his field guide, Sibley lists the weight at 9.8 pounds, with the male being heavier than the female.
In our areas, we are probably seeing the race known as the Giant Canada Goose. Its reintroduction into breeding areas during the past 60 years has been very successful. Some people living in lakeside communities may deem their local goose population as a pestilence that creates slippery, smelly and visually unattractive areas from their waste deposits.
Once they are two to four years old, pairs will form while flocks are in their wintering territory. After they arrive at a suitable site in April, females may select an elevated mound near water or establish a shelf amid cattails that offers a combination of seclusion and visibility of approaching predators.
Older geese may return yearly to their previous nest, and pairs usually stay together as long as they can survive the hazards of predators and migration. The nest will contain small sticks, grass, moss and their own goose down. Five or six eggs are laid in May or June.
Incubation by the female will last about four weeks, with the male standing guard. Within a day of hatching, goslings are led to water by the male. In a single file they are followed by the female. They feed almost continually on grass, algae and pond weeds to attain a weight of seven pounds in eight weeks. Unusual in the bird world, the parents and their young stay as a group for a full year — through both of their migrations before and after winter.
Shortly after the breeding season and for the next month, adults will lose their flight feathers and cannot fly. By the time their new equipment has grown back, their young usually have also gained the ability of flight.
However, adult geese never lose their ability to defend their nest and their young. Humans and other creatures who approach can be met with hissing and stabbing beaks and powerful wing beats. There is also a defined “pecking order” within the goose community — mated pairs dominate singles, and yearlings will dominate immature fledglings. Pair bonds are reinforced by a “triumph ceremony” performed between pairs and family members after contests with rivals.
With time in our hands, and a view that is in a non-threatening location, we might be able to watch these life cycle events in the months our large, feathered neighbors are nearby. From grimacing as we walk where Canada Geese have gathered, to smiling when we see their downy young shuffle below the grass tops and stopping to listen as they approach in their overhead geometry, we can feel connected to this species that was once thought to be extinguished within the Great Plains.
For more information:
- The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley
- Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Janssen, Tessen, and Kennedy
- Birds of Minnesota, Robert B. Janssen
- The Audubon Society’s Encyclopedia of North American Birds, John K. Terres
- Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Waterfowl of North America, Paul A. Johnsgard
- Online: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology LINK
- Online: Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas
