Wikibooks: Field Guide/Birds/Branta canadensis

• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Subjects: Black Head; Canada; Barnacle goose; Branta canadensis; Canada Goose
• Online Access: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Field_Guide/Birds/Branta_canadensis

Bird id name = Canada Goose latin name = Branta canadensis level = 4 image 1 = Canada Goose Szmurlo.jpg image width = 240px caption 1 = Canada Goose in flight image 2 = Wildgans schwarzer kopf fuerth.jpg caption 2 = Breeding pair image 3 = Branta canadensis1.jpg caption 3 = Female with goslings range map = Branta canadensis map.png call = Branta canadensis.ogg description = The Canada Goose ( Branta canadensis ) belongs to the Branta genus of geese which contains species with largely black plumage distinguishing them from the grey species of the Anser genus. The black head and neck with white chinstrap distinguish this goose from all except the Barnacle Goose but the latter has a black breast and grey rather than brownish body plumage. There are seven subspecies of this bird of varying sizes and plumage details but all are recognizable as Canada Geese. Some are hard to distinguish from the Cackling Goose ( Branta hutchinsii ) with which the Canada Goose was long assumed to form one species the name Lesser Canada Goose is confusingly often applied to B. hutchinsii . This species is 90 100 cm long with a 160 175 cm wing span. Males weigh {{units 3.5–6.5 kg 8–14 pounds and can be very aggressive in defending territory. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter at units 3–5.5 kg 7–12 pounds and has a different honk. Exceptionally weights of units 11.3 kg 25 pounds and a wingspan of units 224 cm 88 inches have been recorded in the largest race. These birds feed mainly on plant material. When feeding in water they submerge their heads and necks to reach aquatic plants sometimes tipping forward like a dabbling duck. Flocks of these birds often feed on leftover cultivated grains in fields especially during migration or in winter. During the second year of their lives Canada Geese find themselves a mate. Most couples stay together all of their lives. If one is killed the other may find a new mate. The female lays 4 8 eggs and both parents protect the nest while the eggs incubate but the female ...