Identification Photos: Aleutain Canadian Goose, Branta canadensis leucopareia: The Aleutain Canadian Geese is one of the 11 subspecies of the Canadian Geese that are members of the Anatidae Family which are known in Mexico as del ganso.

Canadian Geese are found in temperate low-arctic regions near waterways in open, grassy habitats such as grasslands, chaparral, and arctic tundra and around agricultural crops.

They average about 9 pounds in weight with lengths of 3 to 6.5 feet and wingspans of 50 to 68 inches. They have a black neck, bill, and head with a white strap under the chin that extends into each cheek to behind the eye; they occasional have white patches elsewhere. The bodies are brownish-gray and they have black feet. Underneath, the colors are much lighter and almost white on the tail. Males are slightly larger than the females but cannot be differentiated by color.

The Aleutian Canadian Goose is a herbivore consuming a wide variety of grasses. It is preyed upon by gulls, ravens, crows, skunks, dogs, and humans, with the majority of casualties incurred by nest robbers of eggs and young chicks. Canadian Geese are highly social animals and can be found in large flocks year round. They summer in extreme northern latitudes and winter to the south. The average lifespan of an adult Canadian Goose is 24 years in the wild and 42 years in captivity, however, they have very high mortalities in the first year of life.

Canadian Geese are long term monogamous with pairs forming during the winter migration periods of the second year of life. They return to the same breeding area each spring and breed once per year along the Canadian and Alaskan shorelines. The females build nests with good visibility and lay an average of 5 eggs between March and June. Males act as territorial defenders. The eggs are incubated by the females and hatch in 23 to 30 days. The goslings are yellow with some greenish-gray coloring on the top of their heads and backs. They leave the nests within 24 hours being fully able to walk, swim, and dive on their own, being forced to quickly provide food for themselves without support from the parents. The offspring remain with their parents throughout the first year and reach sexual maturity in one year.

Canadian Geese are considered to be strong contributors to the ecosystem due to seed dispersal. Historically they have been of economic importance to humans as they served as a primary food for Native Americans, early white settlers, and for Eskimos. At present the populations are increasing in the United States and from a conservation perspective they are not currently of concern.

The Aleutian Canadian Geese have a square head profile with blunt foreheads and flat heads. The bills are stubby, being short tapering to a narrow tip. The breasts are pale gray brown to dark brown; the white facial patches are restricted when compared to other species of Canadian Geese. A key to identification is a thick white collar at the base of the black neck (as pictured below). During the summer they reside in the Russian Kuril Islands of the Bering Sea and in the Alaskan Semidi Islands.

The Aleutian Canadian Geese are annual medium to long distance migrants heading south in large flocks for wintering grounds in late August to early September flying nonstop at about 30 m.p.h. for up to 2,800 miles at altitudes between 900 and 3,000 feet. They normally winter in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River deltas but are also found as far south as Veracruz and Jalisco in mainland Mexico and along the Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula south to Guerrero Negro. Spring migrations occur in late January and are made at a gradual pace, with multiple stops, that coincide with the receding snows and ice packs. The current populations of the Aleutian Canadian Geese are around 15,000 individuals.

Aleutain Canadian Goose, Branta canadensis leucopareia: An odd winter visitor to the Los Cabos area, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Photo taken in December 2007 in the San Jose River Lagoon (23 degrees north latitude) documenting a significant 400 mile range extension for this species with the previously most southerly wintering location being the greater Guerrero Negro area (28 degrees north latitude). Photo courtesy of Carol Snow. Description courtesy of John Snow.