|
|
 Snow Goose |
Snow Goose(Bird) |
 Snow Goose Baby |
Snow Goose HabitsThe snow goose is one of the few species that are able to survive in the harsh environment of the Arctic region. Its breeding season coincides with the brief Arctic summer. The snow goose raises its young in a land virtually free form competitors, predators, and human disturbance.
From June to August, the snow goose inhabits the Arctic tundra of northeastern Siberia, North America, and Greenland. It generally settles into low, sheltered ground near the water.
Almost as soon as the newborns can fly at the end of summer, the geese migrate south. Most geese will cross the Bering Sea and head for the northwest coast of the United States, before moving south to California and the Gulf of Mexico. Migrating flocks can be so dense that they block out the sun. |
Snow Goose CommunicationSnow Geese are possibly the noisiest of all waterfowl. Their main call, made by both males and females, is a nasal, one-syllable honk given at any hour of the day or night, at any time of year, in the air or on the ground. Distant calling flocks are reminiscent of a pack of baying hounds. Birds less than a year old have a clearer and higher-pitched whistle.
Family groups use a series of guttural notes to communicate with each other while feeding. Parents make a fast, quiet series of notes as a brood call to round up goslings. During nesting, they use a penetrating alarm call that varies in intensity. The flight call is a continuous chorus of shrill cries, hoarse honks, and high-pitched quacks, audible both day and night. |
Snow Goose BreedingUnlike most geese, which are extremely aggressive and antisocial during the breeding season, snow geese nest together in huge colonies. In the more popular breeding grounds, colonies numbering nearly 200,000 pairs are not uncommon.
Snow geese pair for life, although trios of a male and two females and , rarely, two males and a female, sometimes occur. Paired birds migrate together, and as soon as they reach their breeding grounds, they begin nest building. Both birds work together to build their nest, which is set in a hollow on the ground of the open Arctic plane, or tundra.
The female incubated the eggs for 22-23 days while the male stands guard. Protected by both parents, the goslings soon become self-sufficient. In little more than a month, they are ready to migrate south. |
Snow Goose Food & FeedingThe snow goose's diet varies considerably throughout the year according to the availability of food in its different summer and winter habitats. It feeds mainly on grass, wheat, rice, and other vegetation, although it eats insects as well. It is a good swimmer but prefers to feed on land, where its relatively short, serrated-edged bill makes it well-suited to grazing on the short tundra vegetation. |
Snow Goose Key Facts |
| Size |
| Height: Length: 25-30 inches. Wingspan: 50-65 inches |
| Weight: Lesser, 5-6 lb. Greater, 6-7 lb |
| Breeding |
| Sexual maturity: 2-3 years |
| Mating: From mid-June |
| Gestation: Incubation: 22-23 days |
| Number of young: Eggs: 4-5, creamy white |
| Lifestyle |
| Habit: Sociable and migratory |
| Diet: Grass, grain, berries, water plants, and insects |
| Lifespan: Typically 3 years. Captive birds, 15-20 years |
DID YOU KNOW?
|
CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? CLICK HERE!!!