Canada geese are native to Canada, the United States and Mexico. They typically spend their summers in the northern regions of North America, and winters in the warmer, southern areas. They weigh between 3 and 11kg, and they have a height of 76 to 110 cm. Their wingspan is between 1.3 and 1.7 meters!
Some interesting facts about the Canada Goose:
- The male goose is called a gander and the female goose is called a… goose! Unlike other birds, the female is not camouflaged because she can defend herself. Don’t mess with this female! A baby goose is called a gosling.
- Geese produce oil from the preen gland on their rumps just above their tail feathers. They rub this oil on their feathers to make them waterproof. This takes a lot of work… roughly 25% of their day is spent preening.
- Canada Geese mate for life and being social animals, often form a type of “daycare” with the goslings called “creches”. They help to look after one another’s young.
- Geese have webbed feet that act as paddles when they are swimming and as water skis when they are landing on water.
- Canada geese are known for flying in a “V” formation. This arrangement is called a “wedge” or a “skein”. The lead position is rotated during flight as that goose has to work the hardest in breaking the wind. This technique allows the geese to cover up to 2400 km in a single day of flight!
- So why is one line of the V-formation longer than the other? Because there are more geese in it… hahaha.
Why do birds Migrate?
Birds migrate to move from areas of low or decreasing resources to areas of high or increasing resources. The two primary resources being sought are food and nesting locations. Birds that nest in the Northern Hemisphere tend to migrate northward in the spring to take advantage of burgeoning insect populations, budding plants and an abundance of nesting locations. As winter approaches and the availability of insects and other food drops, the birds move south again. Some of our Zoo birds spend the winter with us at Toucan Ridge or in barns, but the Zoo has been actively trying to have an animal collection that is visible all year long.
Source: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Branta_canadensis/