Canada Goose
The honking and V-shaped flight formation of Canada geese is common in the Colorado skies.
About This Species
The Canada goose is one of the most visible and well-known waterfowl. In some parts of the United States, they have become a nuisance species because of large numbers of geese congregating in city parks and golf courses. They are highly adaptable to human presence. Their honking can be heard before being sighted in a V-formation, confirming the change in seasons.
Living with Canada Geese
Keep Geese Away from Your Home
Most conflicts between people and geese in Colorado involve site-specific nuisance and property damage issues. The following information provides some habitat management methods to assist in preventing geese causing issues on personal properties.
Do not feed or allow feeding of geese or other waterfowl. If geese are being fed in the area, it will be very difficult to persuade them to move elsewhere.
Physical barriers, such as fences and boulders, can prevent geese from entering an area.
- The fence should be at least two feet high and have openings no larger than three-by-three inches.
- Chain link, chicken wire, construction fence, and wood can be used.
- Where appropriate, electrical fencing can provide a harmless—but effective—shock to discourage geese from entering an area; check with your local authorities to see if there are safety restrictions on electrical fencing.
Geese dislike visual barriers between ponds and feeding areas.
- Planting trees, thick bushes, or a dense hedge between grassy areas and water may make your property less attractive to geese. You may need to use other methods such as fencing or repellents temporarily.
- Geese prefer mowed grasses; so leaving a buffer area of tall grass and wildflowers can create a visual and physical barrier to resident geese.
There are several commercial repellents advertised to keep geese off of lawns. These products must be applied according to label directions to be effective. They may need to be reapplied after rain, or twice weekly in dry conditions.
Discourage with Hazing Methods
If geese are present around your house or property and causing conflicts, there are several ways you can encourage them to leave. Deterring geese is most effective when geese first arrive at a location. Repeated hazing can cause geese to relocate, but you must begin again if geese return.
In general, a permit is not required to scare, repel, or herd geese to protect your property, as long as the birds are not killed or harmed. Non-lethal hazing can be done any time EXCEPT for during the active nesting season – meaning the nest is inactive and there are no eggs or fledglings. Always check local ordinances and obtain any necessary permits they may require before beginning any hazing methods, though.
Residents are encouraged to try all non-lethal methods before applying to use any lethal control techniques.
Humans can haze geese by vigorously chasing them with a broom or water hose.
Loud and surprising noises can be a deterrent to resident geese. Where allowed, 12-gauge 'cracker shells' and other sharp, percussive sounds can prompt geese to move to another, more peaceful location.
Geese can sometimes be scared away using various shapes and movements. Scare tape is thin, shiny ribbon, often silver on one side and red on the other. Place the reflective tape where it is visible to the geese and make a low fence across the area where you don’t want geese to cross. Tie short lengths of the shiny ribbon on the cross tape—the flashing and rattling of the tape can frighten geese. To be useful, it needs to be inspected daily.
Landowners and land managers have used highly trained border collies with skilled handlers to chase geese off their properties. Leash laws in most cities and towns do not allow dogs to run free to chase geese. However, where allowed and used consistently, this method has proven successful in persuading geese to avoid local sites. To find a trained dog and skilled handler, use general internet search terms such as "goose hazing business" or "using dogs to haze geese." This is not a method to be tried with a pet. Dogs cannot be allowed to harm or kill geese or other waterfowl.
Some landowners have acquired swans (with clipped wings—so they cannot fly) and released them on ponds or lakes to frighten away geese. This method is not recommended where the swans will come in regular contact with people, as they can be aggressive to humans as well as geese. Check local laws to be sure swans are allowed in your area. Be aware that swans can also breed, and care must be taken to ensure you don’t create an overpopulation of swans.
Lethal Methods for Management
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, manages resident and migrant Canada and cackling goose populations in the state. Recreational hunting is the primary tool used by CPW to manage these populations, in coordination with the USFWS and other states and provinces in the Central and Pacific Flyways. However, hunting cannot effectively address some human-goose conflicts.
Because Canada geese are protected by federal and state laws, any activities that result in handling, damage, or destruction of geese, eggs or nests, require permits. Individuals can register online to obtain a permit from the USFWS to destroy eggs and nests on their property.
More Information:
Physical Characteristics
The Canada goose has a brown-gray body with a long black neck, black head and black bill. The males and females are similar in appearance. They have white throat patches that extend to the cheeks with a brown-white breast and belly. They also exhibit a white under tail. Weights can range from eight to13 pounds. Adult males are somewhat larger than adult females. They are the largest of the wild geese but their size diminishes as you travel northward. Length is 22 to 40 inches.
Range
This goose lives throughout North America. While many geese have become year-round residents in Colorado, Canada geese that do migrate through the state can fly as far north as Alaska and Canada in the summer, and as far south as Texas, southern California and sometimes parts of Mexico in the winter.
Habitat
Canada geese inhabit lakes, bays, rivers and marshes. Some populations have become domesticated to local city parks and reservoirs. In urban areas, traditional landscaping for lawns and parks, with expansive areas of bluegrass lawn and numerous ponds and lakes, creates ideal conditions for resting, molting, brood rearing and foraging.
Diet
In fields, their diet consists of fallen grain. In marshes, they feed on wild rice, sedges, other aquatic plants, insects, larvae, crustaceans and small mollusks. Their feeding habits are very regular and they are known to return day after day to the same location if they are not disturbed. On the water, they practice the same habits as surface-feeding ducks. Canada geese will feed on newly sprouted lawns and established grass in urban areas.
Reproduction
The female goose builds the nest and adds down from her body when the eggs are laid. Nests are built on the ground near water or in tubs placed on water. Breeding season begins in early April, when the pair seeks out a spot for the hen to lay her eggs. A goose lays five to six eggs and incubation lasts from 24 to 30 days, with the goose incubating alone and the gander standing guard nearby. Both parents care for the goslings and the family remains together during migration and through the winter. Geese are often aggressive and protective of their young, and may harass or scare people and pets that approach nesting areas.