The Canada Goose Essay Research Paper The

The Canada Goose Essay, Research Paper

The Canada Goose

The Branta Canadensis, better known as the Canada Goose is a magnificent

bird which can be found all over North America. Peoples from all over North

America expression towards the sky when the Canada Geese go blaring operating expense in their

hallmark & # 8220 ; V & # 8221 ; formation, and because they nest all over Canada and some of the

United States many people have a opportunity to witness the birds migration to the

nesting evidences and back to the wintering evidences. The Canada Goose is

respected by so many of us because of it & # 8217 ; s self-respect and bravery and refusal to

give up. Over the old ages the Canada Goose has picked up many slang names, some

of these are: Canadian Goose, Canadian Honker, Honker, Honker Goose, Big Honker,

Old Honker, Boy Goose, Bernache ( Gallic for Barnacle Goose ) , Large Mexican Goose,

Blackee, Blacknecked Goose, Brant, French Goose, Northern Goose, Reef Goose,

Ringneck, Wavy, and White-cheeked Goose ( Wormer ) .

The Canada Goose has excellent eyesight which makes it hard to run

because the Goose can see the huntsman good before the huntsman of all time sees the goose

( Wormer ) . This seeing is indispensable for winging though, a Canada Goose can see

three quarters of a domain without traveling its caput ( Wormer ) . The Canada Goose

besides has an acute sense of hearing, it & # 8217 ; s ears are positioned on the side of it & # 8217 ; s

caput ( Wormer ) . They have either no sense of odor or a really hapless one, but this

does non hinder the goose in any manner ( Wormer ) . Although there is a big

fluctuation in size all races of Canada Geese look the same physically

( Wormer ) The male and female Canada Goose expression about precisely the same except

the female can normally be recognized because it is smaller and less aggressive

( Wormer ) . Colorss besides vary but, the colour form is by and large the same for all

the races ( Godfrey ) . The caput and cervix are dark black with a big white

spot on each cheek which meet under the mentum, this is the Canada Goose & # 8217 ; s most

easy recognized characteristic because it is alone to the Canada Goose

( Wormer ) . The upper parts of the organic structure every bit good as the wings are gray brown,

the plumes tipped with chocolate-brown white ( Godfrey ) . The tail is black with the

upper tail coverts white and the under tail coverts are white besides ( Godfrey ) .

The under organic structure is chocolate-brown Grey with paler plume tips, the sides being the

darkest and the lower abdomen is white ( Godfrey ) . The plumes of the chest

normally called down are wide and square tipped ( Godfrey ) . The measure and legs

are dark black, and the flag of the oculus is brown with a black student ( Wormer ) .

The Canada Goose in it & # 8217 ; s first Autumn and Winter is similar to the grownups but

chest plumes are narrower, softer and more rounded, the outer primaries on

the other manus are less rounded than those of a mature grownup ( Godfrey ) . The

Canada Goose colour form works as a great camouflage, when lying level with the

cervix outstretched the Canada Goose looks like a bunch of grass and soil and

hard to separate as a goose even on snow or ice ( Wormer ) . All goslings

of all races of the Canada Goose look indistinguishable ( Breen ) . Goslings are

bright yellow and weigh less than one lb when hatched, after two hebdomads they

manner two lbs, after one month their weight is three to four lbs and their

colour is a dull Grey, after six hebdomads a colour form can be seen and

disposition to wing i.e.. running on top of the H2O rolling it & # 8217 ; s wings, after

eight hebdomads they look like grownup and weigh six to seven lbs and some are able

to wing others begin to wing in their 9th hebdomad, farther growing depends on the

races ( Breen ) . There are 11 races of the Canada Goose but the

features that separate them normally can non be seen from a distance

( Wormer ) . Branta Canadensis Minima, besides known as the Cackling Canada Goose is

the smallest of all races weighing merely two and a half to four lbs

( Wormer ) . It is the darkest in colour and has the highest pitch call ( Wormer ) .

Branta Canadensis Hutchinsii, besides known as the Richardson Canada Goose weighs

three to seven lbs and is light in colour, it & # 8217 ; s name has a pitch somewhat

deeper than that of the Cackling Canada Goose ( Wormer ) . Branta Canadensis

taverneri, besides known as Taverner & # 8217 ; s Canada Goose weighs three and a half to five

lbs and is dark in colour ( Wormer ) . Branta Canadensis leucopareia, besides known

as the Aleutian Canada Goose besides weighs three and a half lbs and is

indistinguishable to Taverner & # 8217 ; s Canada Goose except it has a narrow white ring

dividing the black cervix from the dark gray-brown organic structure ( Wormer ) . Branta

Canadensis Parvipes, besides known as the Lesser Canada Goose weighs six lbs and

is light colored ( Wormer ) . Branta Canadensis Occidentalis, besides known as the

Dusky Canada Goose Weighs five to twelve lbs and is dark brown about

cocoa covered ( Wormer ) . Branta Canadensis, besides known as the Atlantic

Canada Goose weighs six to eleven lbs and is light colored ( Wormer ) . Branta

Canadensis Interior, besides known as Todd & # 8217 ; s Canada Goose besides weighs six to eleven

lbs and is medium colored ( Wormer ) . Branta Canadensis Moffiti, besides known as

the Western Canada Goose weighs twelve to fifteen lbs and is medium colored

( Wormer ) . Branta Canadensis Fulva, besides known as the Vancouver Canada Goose

weighs six to thirteen lbs and is dark in colour, 90 per centum of this

species do non migrate and populate in British Columbia all twelvemonth unit of ammunition ( Wormer ) .

Branta Canadensis Maxima, besides known as the Giant Canada Goose is said to be the

most beautiful of all the races but it is known that they are the most

easy domesticated ( Wormer ) . Elephantine Canadas Weigh 18 to twenty lbs and

are medium colored. Their diagnostic characteristic is that there is a little backward

projecting hook on the white cheek spot ( Wormer ) . The Canada Goose has ten

voices or calls which it uses to pass on with other Canada Geese,

honking, long distance call, salutation, dismay, short distance call of mate, short

distance call to goslings, particular salutation for female, grownup hurt, gosling

hurt, and gosling contentment call every bit good as a shriek of hurting when the bird

is bitten ( Wormer ) .

It takes a female goose a twenty-four hours to a twenty-four hours and half to put an egg ( Wormer ) .

Each goose ballads and norm of five to six eggs, sometimes merely two and

sometimes one goose may put eleven to twelve eggs ( Wormer ) . With 60 per centum

of all eggs laid hatching tow Canada Geese produce an norm of three goslings

per twelvemonth ( Wormer ) . Male to Female births are split down the in-between, 50-50

( Wormer ) . The eggs are dull white and 2.86 by 1.89 inches to 3.43 by 2.34

inches ( Godfrey ) and weigh 3.5 to 7.5 ounces ( Breen ) . The incubation period

stopping points twenty five to twenty eight yearss with an mean incubation temperature of

100.4 grades Fahrenheit to 101.3 grades Fahrenheit ( Wormer ) . Most of the

Canada Geese killed from runing are twelve to 23 old ages old ( Wormer ) .

Canada Geese in imprisonment nevertheless live an aver age of 20 to thirty old ages and

sometimes even over 40 ( Wormer ) . The Canada Goose has a really rapid growing

rate, in fact if an mean human babe were to turn every bit fast as a gosling it

would weigh one-hundred and 38 lbs by the clip it was eight hebdomads

old ( Wormer ) . Goslings Begin to develop plumes after their 3rd hebdomad and

after their 5th hebdomad the plume are the colour of and grownups ( Breen ) . The

grownup geese Begin sheding when the goslings are two hebdomads old and is unable to

fly for five to six hebdomads ( Breen ) . After the moult period the goslings are

eight to nine hebdomads old and are ready to wing with their parents ( Breen ) .

The Canada Goose has two types of home ground, engendering evidences, and

Wintering evidences ( Ross ) . Canada Gees migrate North to their genteelness evidences

and south to their wintering evidences ( Ross ) . During migration North and South

the geese follow four chief migration routes, Atlantic flyway, Pacific Flyway, Mississippi

Flyway and the Central Flyway ( Breen ) . Within these migration routes are migration

corridors ( mention to maps 1 and 2 ) , life scientists are non certain how they follow the

same corridor twelvemonth after twelvemonth ( Breen ) . There are three chief theories of how a

Canada Goose navigates to the same genteelness and wintering evidences each migration

( Breen ) . One theory is that they rely on landscape cues, another theory is that

they use the place of the Sun and stars, and the 3rd theory is that they

hold Fe rich tissue in their encephalons, like that of a pigeon and they use the

Earth & # 8217 ; s magnetic field to voyage, but precisely how Canada Geese navigate is

unknown ( Breen ) . Some ducks may wing every bit fast as 80 stat mis per hr but the

Canada Goose flies at a much more graceful velocity of 42 to 45

stat mis per hr during migration and can wing every bit fast as 60 stat mis per hr.

Canada Geese ever take off into the air current and normally fly at an height

between one 1000 and three thousand pess but in bad conditions will wing as low

as a twosome 100 pess and when going over short distance they prefer

walking because it uses less energy ( Breen ) . When in winging in flocks Canada

Geese fly in their hallmark & # 8220 ; V & # 8221 ; formation, this formation is created because

each goose flies behind and to the side of the goose in forepart of it allows them

to take advantage of the airstream created, this technique is known to

car race drivers as drafting and it lets the Canada Goose fly seventy-one

per centum farther than merely traveling by itself ( Breen ) . Another accomplishment Canada Geese

usage to land in heavy air current is wiffeling, to make this the goose turns its organic structure

sideways so that it & # 8217 ; s wings are perpendicular to the land, the bird loses it & # 8217 ; s

left and fundamentally falls out of the sky, this T

echnique is known to glider

pilots as side slipping because you slip out of the sky ( Breen ) . Most people

believe that the migration North and the migration South are the same but

really they are different ( Breen ) . The migration North to the genteelness

evidences is a slower and more relaxed one than that of the one moving South

( Wormer ) . The migration North sometimes begins in late January for Canada Geese

that are wintering far south, but the bulk of motion occurs in March

( Resource Reader ) . The female chooses the genteelness evidences and nesting site,

the genteelness evidences are those of which she was hatched ( Breen ) . Ideal genteelness

evidences have the undermentioned features: Browsing country for anterior to nesting

season, house foundations, first-class visibleness in all waies, isolated,

dwelling country of unfastened H2O, aquatic eating country, screen of emergent workss for

protection during moult, and a browsing country for brood after they learn to wing

( Wormer ) . Some countries with these features are: swamps, fens, hayfields,

rivers, lakes, pools, islands, Tundra and coastal field ( Wormer ) . Preferred

topographic points to construct the nest are little islets, muskrat houses, other birds abandoned

or sometimes unabandoned nests, in the instance where the nest is still occupied the

female goose will incubate the other birds eggs every bit good as her ain. Canada

Geese particularly the Giant Canada will besides utilize adult male made nests like washtubs,

old tyres and hayricks ( Wormer ) . Nest size varies from four inches deep by 10s

inches broad to 15 inches deep and 44 inches broad ( Wormer ) . After

the female has chosen the genteelness evidences, nesting site and built the nest the

male guards while she incubates the eggs ( Wormer ) . Canada Geese breed all over

Canada and in ideal engendering countries there may be many geese per acre but some

districts may be every bit much as 30 five estates ( Wormer ) ( See maps 1 and 2 for

engendering countries and densenesss of geese ) . The migration South to the wintering

evidences is a much faster paced migration than the one North and done in much

larger flocks ( Breen ) . Each flock normally consists of a group of households

( Breen ) . October and mid-November is when the greatest Numberss of Canada Geese

can be seen traveling south ( Resource Reader ) . Popular wintering evidences have a

good nutrient supply, suited resting evidences near a lake, river or resivoir, the

organic structure of H2O should be big and have low Bankss or shorelines for idleness and

the clime should non be to cold ( Wormer ) . It is frequently on the wintering

evidences that the geese choose their mate whom they will partner off with for life,

unless one is killed ( Obee ) . Some Canada Geese migrate every bit far as Mexico, others

halt further North, some don & # 8217 ; t migrate at all and some even migrate across the

ocean to Japan ( Ross ) ( Refer to maps 1 and 2 for wintering countries and densenesss

of geese ) .

Canada Geese like to feed mid-morning and merely earlier sunset go forthing the

mid-day for loosen uping. Canada Geese graze cord grass, spike haste, water nymph,

saltwort, cat’s-tail, salt grass, seepweed, Bermuda grass, aureate dock, Lycium,

brome grass, wild barley, rabbit-foot grass, pepper grass, saltbush, cattail,

alkali grass, and tansy mustard ( Wormer ) . They will eat Ladino or Dutch white

trefoil if it is assorted with other grasses that the goose usually chows, they will

non eat lucerne unless it is immature and stamp ( Wormer ) . Canada Geese besides feed

on all human grown grains but their favourite of all nutrients is maize ( Breen ) . The

most popular nutrients are, maize which forty three per centum of geese provender on, little

grain fed on by 20 four per centum of geese, 20 two per centum provender on grazing land,

and soya beans histories for the other nine per centum ( Breen ) . Apart from dry land

croping Canada Geese besides feed on some aquatic growing ( Wormer ) . Canada Geese

are largely vegetarian but they do feed on some little insects, insect larvae,

molluscs and little crustaceans ( Wormer ) .

Dogs will trail and kill Canada Geese for merriment and prairie wolfs and wolves

will besides kill Canada Geese for nutrient, but most of the clip geese are much to

fast for land mammals unless they are hurt or wounded or it is during sheding

season ( Wormer ) . Sheding season is the most unsafe clip of the Canada

Goose & # 8217 ; s life because it can non wing, nevertheless even without their flight plumes a

Canada Goose can still outrun a adult male over land and may even be able to contend of

an aggressor with strong blows from it & # 8217 ; s wings and utilizing it & # 8217 ; s beak as a arm

( Breen ) . Worlds are the largest marauder of the Canada Goose ( Wormer ) . However

due to rigorous direction of hunting of Canada Geese the population has non been

decreased by runing ( Wormer ) . In 1995 Goose runing season for North Game Bird

District opened on September foremost and closed December 9th with a bag bound of

nine day-to-day which non more than six may be dark geese and of these non more than

four may be whitefronts ( Wiens ) . In the South Game Bird District of

Saskatchewan the season for goose hunting opened on September eleventh and besides

closed on December 9th with a bag bound of 18 of which non more than

12 may be dark geese and of these non more than six may be whitefronts

( Wiens ) .

Parasites are non responsible for to many grownup goose deceases but they do

do some ( Wormer ) . Most of the harm parasites do is killing goslings two to

three yearss old ( Wormer ) . Some internal parasites of Canada Geese include both

worm and blood parasites ( Wormer ) . Externally the Canada Goose besides has assorted

sorts of lice ( Wormer ) .

Some times a female Canada Goose will nest in a nest that has already

been made by an bird of Jove or hawk and may still be occupied ( Wormer ) . If the nest

contains the eggs of the bird who built the nest the female Canada Goose will

incubate the other birds eggs every bit good as her ain ( Wormer ) . This benefits both

birds because it leaves the other bird more clip to rest and eat and the Canada

Goose gets to utilize a nest ( Wormer ) . Canada Geese often nest on top of

muskrat houses because they are on unfastened H2O where the eggs are safe from other

birds and foxes, this does non upset the muskrat in any manner ( Wormer ) . The

Canada Goose will besides nest in an derelict nest of a hawk, bird of Jove or other big

bird ( Wormer ) . There have been instances reported of little songsters seen siting on

the dorsums of Canada Geese on their migration path or huntsmans who have shot a

goose and found a smaller bird tucked off in it & # 8217 ; s plumes, However there is no

scientific certification of this ( Breen ) .

The Canada Goose & # 8217 ; s largest competition is normally other Canada Geese

( Wormer ) . Canada Geese do non mind if other water bird such as ducks are nesting

nearby but they will contend other Canada Geese for their district if it is

necessary ( Wormer ) . It is of import that Canada Geese do non construct nests to

near together because when the goslings are foremost hatched they can non acknowledge

their parents nor can their parents acknowledge them and the goslings can go

easy mixed up and follow a different set of parents ( Wormer ) .

Worlds have had a strong consequence on the population of the Canada Goose,

good and bad effects. Agricultural waste H2O kills many geese each twelvemonth

another human waste that kills geese is when they ingest spent ammo with

crushed rock, the geese dice of lead toxic condition and it is a really painful decease and more

common than most people think ( Wormer ) . Urban growing, industry and run outing

land for farming contribute to the four hundred thousand estates of wetland lost

each twelvemonth in the United States which has had a enormous consequence on some

water bird, nevertheless this does non straight consequence the Canada Goose & # 8217 ; s birth rate

because most Canada Geese breed far adequate North that they are isolated from

advancement ( Breen ) . The disappearance of wetlands does consequence them indirectly

though because they are used for resting and feeding along the migration path

and are of import for safety ( Breen ) . Nesting sites in the north aren & # 8217 ; t wholly

safe from worlds though, the Exxon oil spill has damaged Canada Goose home ground

( Breen ) . Plans to dam the Yukon River could besides destroy the nesting evidences for

over two hundred thousand Canada Geese ( Breen ) .

The figure of people who are seeking to protect wetlands has become rather

big ( Breen ) . The largest and best known group is likely Ducks Unlimited

Canada which was founded in 1937 and has over one-hundred 1000 members most

of which are huntsmans ( Breen ) . In 1973 it expanded into the United States which

now has over five-hundred and 50 1000 members besides which are largely

huntsmans and one twelvemonth after in 1974 Ducks Unlimited de Mexico joined the other

two groups in wetland protection ( Breen ) . Since their initiation Ducks Unlimited

have raised about one half billion dollars ninety three per centum of which has

been invested in undertakings to help water bird such as the Canada Goose ( Breen ) .

Equally long as the Canada Goose & # 8217 ; s private northern genteelness evidences are non

disturbed this brilliant bird should be with us a long clip. For most people

the Canada Goose symbolizes fall when we see them gracefully surging through

the air to their warm winter place and they besides symbolize spring clip when they

come back from their winter place. The Canada Goose is a bird with self-respect and

pride and is a bird that is loved by all who see and hear it.

Western Canada, moffiti68 000 Dusky Canada, occidentalis16 000

Vancouver Canada, fulva14 000 Todd & # 8217 ; s Canada, interior/Atlantic Canada,

Canadensis1 000 000 Giant Canada, Maxima55 000 Cackling Canada, Minima

172 000 Aleutian Canada, leucopareiaremnant Taverner & # 8217 ; s Canada, Taverneri

57 000 Lesser Canada, Parvipes/Richardson & # 8217 ; s Canada, Hutchinsii300 000 Sum

estimated population of Canada Geese1 682 000