Animal Report

The Canada goose, or Branta Canadensis, is a large bird, averaging 6 to 10 pounds in weight, and 29 to 38 inches in length. The geese in my study area belong to the Branta Canadensis interior, one of eight goose species. Their body feathers are gray and brown, while its underside and cheeks are white feathered, and its neck, bill, legs and feet webbed feet are black. The different feather colors are an anti predator adaptation. The white underside is camouflage when in flight, the light colored feathers blend with the sky for any predator looking up at it. While the dark feathers blend with water or the ground when looked at from above. These geese mate for life, and stick together as a family. The pair chooses a nesting site near shores, small islands, or in fields and marshes. The female lays four to eight eggs, while the male patrols around the nesting area. They diet on the plant life around them, from wild rice to aquatic plants. They keep the population of the vegetation they eat to a level where it won’t compete for survival needs.
The Canada goose is a migratory bird; therefore their environment is much larger than the ecosystem they currently live in, my study area. When the geese migrate they travel in a ‘V’ shaped formation. The bird at the tip of the ‘V’ leads the geese and the leader changes as they fly. This is done to break up wind resistance and conserve energy. Hunting is responsible for most Canada Geese deaths, but they are hunted by more than humans. Their eggs are often stolen by a number of animals; such as coyotes, foxes, raccoons, skunks, crows and gulls. Predators, however, is not the main reason for loss of eggs, most eggs as most young are killed by a drastic change in weather; flooding or a storm for example. Adult geese are also rarely attacked, but bald eagles and great horned owls do hunt these geese occasionally.