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
Canada geese are a common sight in Colorado in human-occupied areas. Find out tips and tools to help live in harmony with these birds, as well as how CPW manages populations, in our guide.
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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.