Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Snow Goose

Anser caerulescens

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Snow Goose

G5Secure Found in 42 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101815
Element CodeABNJB04010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderAnseriformes
FamilyAnatidae
GenusAnser
Synonyms
Chen caerulescens(Linnaeus, 1758)
Other Common Names
Ganso Blanco (ES) Oie des neiges (FR) snow goose (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly placed in the genus Chen, but phylogenomic data indicate that Anser is paraphyletic if Chen is treated as a separate genus (Ottenburghs et al. 2016) (AOU 2017).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-07
Change Date1996-11-20
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 300
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: northeastern Siberia, northern Alaska, arctic Canada, and northern Greenland. WINTERS: mainly from southern British Columbia south to California; along Gulf coast from Veracruz, Mexico, and Texas to western Florida; on Atlantic coast, New Jersey to South Carolina; casual in Hawaii (Godfrey 1966, Pratt et al. 1987). In recent years, a growing segment of western arctic population wintered in middle Rio Grande valley and Pecos River valley in New Mexico and to lakes in northern Chihuahua (and in southeastern Colorado in some mild winters) (Johnson and Herter 1989, Taylor and Kirby 1990).
Threat Impact Comments
While on fall staging areas, susceptible to disturbances by low-flying aircraft and other human activities (see Johnson and Herter 1989).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Winters in both freshwater and coastal wetlands, wet prairies and extensive sandbars, foraging also in pastures, cultivated lands and flooded fields (AOU 1983). Nests in tundra marshes near water, on raised hummocks and ridges. In Manitoba, geese nesting in tall willows had better reproductive success than did geese nesting in shorter willows or in areas without willows (Jackson et al. 1988). Females generally nest at their natal or prior nest site.

Ecology

Mortality is highest in young; annual adult survival around 80%; few live beyond 10-15 years (Auk 109:731-747). See McLandress (1983) for nest density dynamics. Mean home ranges during brood-rearing varied from 6.6 to 21.7 square kilometers (Hughes et al. 1994).

Reproduction

Eggs are laid in June-July (sometimes late May); mainly early June in Beaufort Sea region, mid-June at Bylot Island; females arrive in nesting areas carrying well-developed eggs. Usually 4-5, sometimes 3-8, eggs incubated by female for 23-25 days (also reported as 20-23 days). Male stands guard. Young can fly at 38-49 days. Families usually break up by next nesting season. Some females begin nesting when two years old, years, most nest when three years old, and some delay breeding until they are at least four years old (Viallefont 1995, Auk 112:67-76). In Manitoba, females aged 5-7 years produced greater proportion of offspring than did younger or older mothers (Ratcliffe et al. 1988). Food availability in spring staging areas and weather during early nesting season may affect reproductive output. Incubating females take recesses to feed, especially in the third week (Reed 1995, Condor 97:993-1001). Does not renest if clutch destroyed or lost. Nesting colonies may number 1200 pairs per square mile. Mean clutch size decreased as population size increased in Manitoba colony (Cooch et al. 1989). Some females lay eggs in nests of other conspecifics.
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceousTundraCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B,N4N
ProvinceRankNative
AlbertaS5MYes
LabradorSNAYes
OntarioS5BYes
British ColumbiaS4MYes
Yukon TerritorySUB,S4MYes
ManitobaS5BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
SaskatchewanS5MYes
New BrunswickS3MYes
QuebecS5MYes
NunavutS5BYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
MinnesotaSNRMYes
WashingtonS3NYes
CaliforniaSNRNYes
IowaS5NYes
New YorkSNRNYes
South CarolinaS4Yes
GeorgiaS3Yes
DelawareS5NYes
Rhode IslandSNAYes
TexasS5Yes
LouisianaS5NYes
NebraskaSNRNYes
MissouriSNRN,SNRMYes
North DakotaSNRMYes
New HampshireSNAYes
MaineS3NYes
VermontSNAYes
ArkansasS5NYes
MichiganSNRNYes
MississippiSNAYes
AlabamaS3NYes
New MexicoS5NYes
West VirginiaS2NYes
UtahSNAYes
TennesseeS4NYes
NevadaS5NYes
AlaskaS5BYes
MassachusettsS4NYes
KansasS4NYes
KentuckyS3NYes
IdahoS5MYes
IndianaSNAYes
IllinoisSNAYes
VirginiaSNRNYes
OhioSNRNYes
OregonS4NYes
WisconsinSNAYes
MontanaS4NYes
ConnecticutSNAYes
WyomingSNAYes
South DakotaSNAYes
MarylandS4NYes
ColoradoS4NYes
ArizonaS3NYes
District of ColumbiaS2NYes
PennsylvaniaS5NYes
New JerseyS4NYes
North CarolinaS4NYes
FloridaSNRNYes
OklahomaSNRNYes
Navajo NationS3NYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)

—

Roadless Areas (42)
Alaska (12)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Chugach-12Chugach National Forest8,116
Chugach-13Chugach National Forest13,337
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
Juneau UrbanTongass National Forest101,581
Mansfield PeninsulaTongass National Forest54,991
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
California (8)
AreaForestAcres
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Dobie FlatModoc National Forest15,079
Grouse LakesTahoe National Forest19,085
Hall Natural AreaInyo National Forest5,236
JuncalLos Padres National Forest12,289
Mt. RebaStanislaus National Forest3,869
SherwinInyo National Forest3,140
Timbered CraterLassen National Forest4,096
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Rocky MountainChattahoochee National Forest4,269
Idaho (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
HoodooNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest153,868
NeedlesPayette National Forest131,279
Montana (4)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLewis and Clark National Forest344,022
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Cube Iron - SilcoxLolo National Forest36,998
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)Bitterroot National Forest114,953
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Gila BoxGila National Forest23,759
Oregon (6)
AreaForestAcres
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
HomesteadWallowa-Whitman National Forest5,817
Hurricane CreekWallowa-Whitman National Forest1,606
Joseph CanyonWallowa-Whitman National Forest24,288
Mt. BaileyUmpqua National Forest18,401
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Burch CreekWasatch-Cache National Forest6,938
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
Walker PrairieBighorn National Forest62,434
References (40)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). Chesser, R.T., K.J. Burns, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W. Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., J.D. Rising, D.F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2017. Fifty-eighth Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 134:751-773.
  4. Avise, J. C., R. T. Alisauskas, W. S. Nelson, and C. D. Ankney. 1992. Matriarchal population genetic structure in an avian species with female natal philopatry. Evolution 46:1084-1096.
  5. Bartlett, D. 1975. The flight of the snow geese. 189 pp.
  6. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  7. Bird Studies Canada. 2003. Canadian Important Bird Areas Site Catalogue. Searchable database, available at: http://www.bsc-eoc.org/iba/IBAsites.html. Accessed 5 June 2003.
  8. Cogswell, H. L. 1977. Water birds of California. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 399 pp.
  9. Cooch, E. G., D. B. Lank, R. F. Rockwell, and F. Cooke. 1989. Long-term decline in fecundity in a Snow Goose population: evidence for density dependence? Journal of Animal Ecology 58:711-726.
  10. Cooch, E. G., D. B. Lank, R. F. Rockwell, and F. Cooke. 1991. Long-term decline in body size in a Snow Goose population: evidence of environmental degradation? Journal of Animal Ecology 60:483-496.
  11. Cooke, F., D. T. Parkin, and R. F. Rockwell. 1988. Evidence of former allopatry of the two color phases of lesser snow geese (CHEN CAERULSCENS CAERULESCENS). Auk 105:467-479.
  12. Gauthier, G., J.-F. Giroux, and J. Bedard. 1992. Dynamics of fat and protein reserves during winter and spring migration in greater snow geese. Can. J. Zool. 70:2077-2087.
  13. Giroux, J.-F., and J. Bedard. 1988. Use of bulrush marshes by greater snow geese during staging. J. Wildl. Manage. 52:415-420.
  14. Glazener, W. C. 1946. Food habits of wild geese on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Journal of Wildlife Management 10:322-329.
  15. Godfrey, W.E. 1966. The birds of Canada. National Museums of Canada. Ottawa. 428 pp.
  16. Hammond, M. C., and G. E. Mann. 1956. Waterfowl nesting islands. Journal of Wildlife Management 20:345-352.
  17. Howard, R. and A. Moore. 2003. A complete checklist of the birds of the world. Third edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 1039 pp.
  18. Hughes, R. J., A. Reed, and G. Gauthier. 1994. Space and habitat use by Greater Snoow Goose broods on Bylot Island, Northwest Territories. Journal of Wildlife Management 58:536-545.
  19. Jackson, S. L., D. S. Hik, and R. F. Rockwell. 1988. The influence of nesting habitat on reproductive success of the lesser snow goose. Can. J. Zool. 66:1699-1703.
  20. Johnson, S. R. 1995. Immigration in a small population of Snow Geese. Auk 112:731-736.
  21. Johnson, S. R. and D. R. Herter. 1989. The Birds of the Beaufort Sea. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. 372 pp.
  22. Kortright, F.H. 1967. The ducks, geese, and swans of North America. The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PA, and Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D.C. 476 pp.
  23. Livezey, B. C. 1986. A phylogenetic analysis of recent Anseriform genera using morphological characters. Auk 103:737-754.
  24. McLandress, M. R. 1983. Temporal changes in habitat selection and nest spacing in a colony of Ross' and lesser snow geese. Auk 100: 335-343.
  25. Mowbray, T. B., F. Cooke, and B. Ganter. 2000. Snow Goose (CHEN CAERULESCENS). No. 514 IN A. Poole and F. Gill (editors). The Birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
  26. Palmer, R. S., editor. 1976. Handbook of North American birds. Vol. 2. Waterfowl (first part). Whistling ducks, swans, geese, sheld-ducks, dabbling ducks. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven. 521 pp.
  27. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  28. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  29. Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett. 1987. A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 409 pp. + 45 plates.
  30. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  31. Ratcliffe, L., R. F. Rockwell, and F. Cooke. 1988. Recruitment and maternal age in lesser snow geese CHEN CAERULESCENS CAERULESCENS. J. Anim. Ecol. 57:553-563.
  32. Ridgely, R. S. 2002. Distribution maps of South American birds. Unpublished.
  33. Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds: An analysis of Christmas Bird Count data. University of Chicago Press. 336 pp.
  34. Sibley, C.G., and B.L. Monroe, Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. xxiv + 1111 pp.
  35. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  36. Soper, J. D. 1942. Life history of the blue goose. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist 42:121-225.
  37. Taylor, J. P., and R. E. Kirby. 1990. Experimental dispersal of wintering snow and Ross' geese. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 18:312-319.
  38. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  39. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1988. SEIS 88. Final supplemental environmental impact statement: issuance of annual regulations permitting the sport hunting of migratory birds. x + 340 pp.
  40. Williams, C. S., and C. A. Sooter. 1941. Canada Goose habitats in Utah and Oregon. Transactions of the North American Wildlife Conference 5:383-387.