An animal with special facets
The Canada goose is originally from Canada and owes its name to its homeland. The geese breeding area is in northern North America and extends from the Aleutian Islands to the Atlantic. The Canada goose came to Europe during the 17th century when the first geese were used in an English park. To the delight of numerous ornithologists, the population increased to a population of a few thousand breeding pairs. The Canadian geese that were naturalized in Sweden also reproduced up to around 10,000 breeding pairs. These winter not only in southern Sweden, but also in northern Germany and the Netherlands. Canada geese belong to the duck family and are so-called new citizens (neozoon).
Migratory birds with excellent vision and hearing
The Canada goose has excellent sight and hearing, while the sense of smell is well developed. Canada geese can be recognized in the air by their trumpeting “ah-honk” even at a great distance. After Canada geese were released in major German cities such as Hamburg, they are not only breeding successfully in coastal areas. The birds are also regularly seen in the sewage fields of the city of Münster. The Canada goose is a migratory bird in Canada and migrates along the Atlantic coast from southern Nova Scotia to southeast Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut to South Carolina and even Georgia to overwinter.
Twelve different breeds of Canada geese
According to SMARTERCOMPUTING, there are twelve different breeds of Canada geese. The animals vary only slightly in the drawing, but differ from one another in color and size. While small, short-necked and short-beaked birds breed in the arctic tundra, large, long-necked and long-beaked geese prefer the southern forest and prairie zones for breeding. Particularly bright populations nest in northeast Canada, while birds on the Pacific coast have dark markings. Canada geese are larger than gray geese. Females and males are similar in plumage, but differ in size and weight. The plumage and beak are black. The Canada goose has white chin stripes on the cheeks and brownish plumage on the back, while the chest is lighter. Legs and feet are also black.
The Canada goose, a monogamous animal
Canada geese can often be seen in parks, wetlands, raised bogs, on ponds, as well as on lakes and rivers. The average weight of male birds is 4,880 grams, while females weigh around 4,390 grams. Couples sometimes form in the first year of life, but mostly in the second year. Although the young birds are not yet sexually mature at this point in time, they are already showing the behavior of sexually mature geese. Semi-domesticated geese, on the other hand, often only become sexually mature in the autumn of their third year of life. The monogamous Canada geese live in permanent marriage. After the death of its partner, the Canada goose will only try to mate again after several years. However, when Canada geese live in captivity, they mate earlier.
Nesting sites near the water
The nesting site is always chosen by the female. In addition to the swamp vegetation, the preferred nest locations include places on small islands in ponds and lakes. The geese usually build their nests directly on the ground and near the water. The Canada goose breeds in Americaalso in artificial nesting areas that are above the water or in old bird-of-prey nests. A clutch usually consists of four to six eggs, in some cases the females lay up to eleven eggs. There is only one annual brood from the end of March. While the female is breeding, the male keeps watch and takes over the defense of the clutch. The young hatch after an incubation period of 28 to 30 days. The average weight of newly hatched goslings is around 115 grams, and after about 60 to 70 days the gosling, the chicks of the Canada goose, reach their flight ability. The young geese stay until their parents look for a new nesting place in the family unit the following year. The male animal, the ganter, defends goose and clutch, later the hatched goslings also with great aggressiveness.
Canada geese have a vegetarian diet
Canada geese feed primarily on aquatic plants, herbs, and young grasses. When the birds live near human settlements, they also peck oilseed rape, corn kernels, cereal grains, and winter crops from the fields. Like all bird species in Europe, Canada geese are subject to the protection provisions of the EU bird protection directives. However, the Canada goose is one of the species that, according to Annex II / A, can be hunted using precisely defined hunting methods in all member states of the European Union.
