Latin: Branta sandvicensis
Average length: 22-28"
Average weight: M 5.0 lbs., F 4.3 lbs.

Description: Hawaiian geese have a black face and crown and cream-colored cheeks. The neck is pale grayish streaked with black and has a narrow dark ring at the base. The body plumage and folded wings are gray-brown with transverse barring. The bill, legs and feet are black and the iris is dark brown. Both sexes are similar in appearance, but males typically are larger.

 Breeding: Hawaiian geese are found only in the Hawaiian Islands and are the only extant species of goose not occurring naturally in continental areas. The Hawaiian goose formerly bred on all or most of the Hawaiian Islands, but currently is restricted to Hawaii, Kauai and Maui. Preferred nest sites include sparsely-to-densely-vegetated beach strands; shrublands; grasslands and woodlands on well-drained soil, volcanic ash, cinder and lava rock substrates. Females typically nest on the ground and lay an average of 3 eggs.

Migrating and Wintering: Hawaiian geese are considered sedentary, but, historically, seasonal movements were made in response to changes in food availability as a result of rainfall patterns.

Population: The Hawaiian goose is among the most isolated, sedentary and threatened of all waterfowl. It is the sixth most endangered waterfowl species worldwide. Hunting, egg collecting and predation by introduced mongooses, cats, pigs, dogs and rats contributed to the historic decline of this species. Current threats include scarcity of native food plants, predation by introduced mammals and habitat loss. In certain areas, collisions with vehicles are a major source of mortality. Recovery efforts have included captive rearing and release, predator removal, provision of supplemental food and restoration of native habitats.

Food habits: Hawaiian geese graze and browse on the leaves, seeds, berries and flowers of grasses, herbs and shrubs.

Latin: Chen canagica
Average length: M 27", F 27"
Average weight: M 6.20 lbs., F 6.10 lbs.

Description: Male and female emperor geese have gray body plumage that is subtly barred with black and white. The white head and hindneck, which are often stained orange-red from feeding in tidal ponds where iron oxide is concentrated, contrast markedly with the dark foreneck. Contrast distinguishes this goose from the blue-morph snow goose, whose entire foreneck and chin are white like the head. The emperor goose's short bill is pink and lacks the black "grinning patch" present in blue geese. The legs and feet of the emperor goose are yellow-orange, while those of the blue goose are pink.

Breeding: Eighty to 90 percent of the world's emperor geese breed along the western coast of Alaska, from Kuskokwim Bay to Kotzebue Sound, and on St. Lawrence and Nunivak islands. Emperor geese prefer to nest on banks along sloughs and rivers, elevated shorelines, marsh hummocks, pingos (low hills or mounds forced up by hydrostatic pressure in an area underlain with permafrost), flat grasslands, raised scour blocks, peninsulas and islands. They lay an average of 5 eggs.

Migrating and Wintering: Most emperor geese winter along the Aleutian Islands, with fewer numbers along the south coast of the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak and Afognak islands. In mild years, some birds winter along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska and Cook Inlet. Small numbers occur in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and occasionally northern California.

Population: Alaska's emperor goose population declined precipitously from 139,000 birds in 1964 to 42,000 in 1986. Biologists suspect subsistence hunting and coastal oil pollution are factors responsible for the observed decline.

Food habits: Emperor geese feed on seaweed; eelgrass; sea lettuce; algae; beach rye; beach pea; seabeach sandwort; grasses and sedges; crowberries and mollusks and crustaceans found in intertidal areas, salt marshes and tundra meadows.

  

Latin: Branta canadensis
Average length: M 25-45 inches
Average weight: M 3-13 lbs., F 3-11 lbs.

 Description: Both sexes of Canada geese have a black head and neck except for broad white cheek patches extending from the throat to the rear of the eye. The female of a breeding pair is often smaller. The breast, abdomen and flanks range in coloring from a light gray to a dark chocolate brown, either blending into the black neck or being separated from it by a white collar. The back and scapulars are darker brown, the rump is blackish and the tail is blackish-brown with a U-shaped white band on the rump. The bill, legs and feet are black. Most subspecies are uniformly large and pale and exhibit the characteristic "honking" call.

There are 7 recognized subspecies of Canada geese: Atlantic, Hudson Bay or Interior, Giant, Moffitt's or Great Basin, Lesser, Dusky and Vancouver. In general, the subspecies nesting farther north are smaller in size and darker in color to the west. The Giant Canada goose is the largest goose in the world, with some individuals weighing more than 20 pounds. They can also be long-lived, with a banded Giant Canada goose at 30 years and 4 months currently holding the longevity record for waterfowl. David Sibley has developed an informative webpage that can assist in subspecies identification for Canada geese. Also, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has a helpful field guide (PDF) to identify Cackling and Canada geese.

 Breeding: Canada geese nest across inland North America and in more southerly habitats than cackling geese. Canada geese exhibit very strong family and pair bonds, and tend to return to their natal homes to nest. Female Canada geese lay a range of 2-8 eggs with an incubation period of 25-28 days.

 Migrating and Wintering: Canada geese are herbivorous, feeding on grasses, sedges, waste grain and berries. In coastal areas of North America, grain-producing agricultural lands adjacent to estuarine or saltwater marshes with bulrush and cordgrass provide ideal winter habitat. In the mid-continent United States, refuges with freshwater marshes and abundant food crops attract Canada geese.

See the table below for breeding and wintering distributions of Canada geese:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Population: In general, populations of Canada geese are currently more stable than in previous decades. Nearly extirpated in the early 1900s, Giant Canada goose populations have become problematic in some areas due to their elevated numbers. Mississippi Flyway Giant Canada goose population estimates have increased an average of 3 percent a year from 1998 to 2007, when it was estimated at 1.64 million birds, a 5-percent decrease from 2006. With resident Canada goose estimates now over 3 million nationwide, several states have established early Canada goose seasons that focus solely on reducing populations of resident Canada geese. In contrast, the Dusky Canada goose population remains at relatively low numbers, with 2007 breeding population counts estimated at 10,000 birds. Breeding population estimates in 2007 for Atlantic Canada geese were 1.38 million birds, while the Hudson Bay population was estimated to be 966,500 birds. The remaining subspecies combined accounted for more than 2.7 million additional geese in the 2007 flight.

From a harvest management perspective, Canada geese are usually included in season lengths and bag limits with other white-cheeked geese. Hunters should be sure to check specific state regulations for hunting restrictions.