What’s the difference between a snow goose and a Canada goose?
Snow Goose. GERALD ROMANCHUK
| Canada Goose
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Snow Goose
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| Identifying Features | Large brown body with light underbelly
Long black neck White cheek patch Black feet and beak |
Large white body
Black wing tips Pink feet and beak Blue morph: white face and undertail with a dark brown body |
| Sounds | Noisy honks and when you walk too close, they will hiss to let you know to give them space.
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Noisy nasal honks, shrill cries, and high-pitched quacks make up the flock’s cacophony.
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| When and Where | Found across Alberta during the spring, summer, and fall. Most Canada geese migrate south for the winter with the exception of a few that overwinter in Alberta in areas of open water. You can find Canada geese just about anywhere, from city ponds to farmers’ fields.
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Fly across Alberta during spring and fall migration. Snow geese spend the summer in the Arctic and overwinter in U.S.A. and Mexico. While migrating through Alberta, snow geese rest and eat in farmers’ fields, lakes, and country ponds.
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Canada Goose. GERALD ROMANCHUK
This article originally ran in Nature Alberta Magazine – Spring 2023.