Ross’s Goose (Chen rossi) Nesting Colony at East Bay, Southampton Island, Nunavut

Most Ross’s Geese (Chen rossi) nest in the central arctic of North America, but the range has expanded eastward in the last two decades. In summer 2014, we discovered a cluster of 48 nesting pairs of Ross’s Geese at East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary,Southampton Island, Nunavut. The Ross’s Goose colo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Canadian Field-Naturalist
Main Authors: Nissley, Clark, Williams, Christopher, Abraham, Kenneth F.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club 2016
Subjects:
Ross’s Goose
Chen rossi
nesting
Southampton Island
East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Nunavut
Arctic
Brant
East Bay
Branta bernicla
Online Access:https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1786
https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v130i1.1786
Description
Summary:Most Ross’s Geese (Chen rossi) nest in the central arctic of North America, but the range has expanded eastward in the last two decades. In summer 2014, we discovered a cluster of 48 nesting pairs of Ross’s Geese at East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary,Southampton Island, Nunavut. The Ross’s Goose colony was between an upland Lesser Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) nesting area and a low-lying Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) and Atlantic Brant (Branta bernicla) nesting area, in a zone dominated by ponds and lakes and interspersed with areas of moss and graminoids. Our discovery documents a previously unknown level of nesting of Ross’s Geese at East Bay and corroborates unpublished evidence of growing numbers of the species on Southampton Island and expansion of its breeding range.

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