home

=YKDEKTA Snow Goose:= = __//**Snow Geese **//__ = Snow Geese are believed to be white but not always white. There are three different types of geese; there are Gray geese, Blue geese, and Snow geese. White-morph genetic mutation birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-morph geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. They maybe different but they are somewhat related. They sometimes fly together in flocks when they migrate. Outside of the nesting season, they usually feed in flocks. In winter, Snow geese feed on left-over grain in fields. They migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers. [|ykdeltasnowgoose]

The scientific name the Snow Goose is anser caerulescens. Snow geese are known for their white plumage, but many of them are actually darker, gray-brown birds known as blue geese. These birds were once thought to be two separate species, but they have recently been found to be almost two different color morphs of the same bird. A single gene controls the color difference.

While migrating, they may fly in a population of 5 million. Snow geese and their surviving offspring band returns indicate that they travel eastward to Alaska, where an average of over 2,000 is harvested by natives in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta. They then separate into two major wintering subpopulations while the other segment travel down the Alaska coasts to wintering areas in the Skagit-Fraser estuaries. When they migrate they are searching for large lakes, ponds, or even large coastal wet lands. They may migrate for 42 to 50 days. When snow geese migrate, they may migrate to the gulf coastal of Texas and Louisiana to spend their winter. The reason they spend their winter is because they enjoy the ponds and the coastal wet lands to feed and fatten up for their next journey to Alaska. They go to Alaska at the end of May or during the first few days of June, depending on snow conditions. Snow Geese breed in the Arctic Tundra and winter in farmlands, lakes and coastal areas in the American south, southwest and east coast. These attractive geese occur only in North America and make an annual round trip journey of more than 5,000 miles at speeds of 50 mph or more. Seen in flight, adults are white with jet black wing tips. A medium-sized goose that breeds on the arctic tundra, the Snow Goose travels south in very large, high-flying, noisy flocks. The large numbers of white a descending flock suggests snow, but among the white birds are darker individuals. Until recently, the Blue Geese, as the dark birds were called, were considered a separate species. They are now recognized as merely a dark form (or "morph") of the Snow Goose. Nesting is a shallow depression for the snow geese. The reason it is a depression for the snow geese is because they are vulnerable to the wolves, coyotes, and foxes. They are hunted and eaten by the wolves and coyotes while nesting. Foxes are not a bother, but they do take their eggs to feed themselves and they won’t stop till they get enough eggs to have their fill. Nesting may last for 22 to 25 days. The number of geese reproducing does not exceed 5% of the population. After the eggs have hatched, they are a perfect meal for the foxes because the foxes gather as many chicks to feed its young and themselves. It is a challenge for the foxes. The Snow Geese are usually scared of the foxes but when they have their young they are going to try their best to keep their young safe. They chase the fox away by standing taller than the fox and spreading their wings and using their feet to attack the fox. This made a good defense for the Snow Goose because the fox will think the goose has more strength then she does.

The chicks are gathered by their parents and lead to the safety of the lake or pond. Chicks can swim and eat on their own within 24 hours, but families remain together through the young's first winter. Families can be identified as groups during both the southern and northern migrations. There they will stay and feed off of the logged soil or thing that lives in shallow water.  Snow Geese mainly eat plant material found in shallow water or on land . The head can be stained rusty-brown from minerals in the soil where they feed. They are very vocal and can often be heard from more than a mile away. Snow Geese are announcers of the changing seasons. Their diet is entirely vegetarian, consisting of grasses and grains, grazed from damp soils or even shallow water. Snow Geese feed almost exclusively on plant material. During the breeding season, they eat many seeds, leaves, and roots of aquatic vegetation. The very young birds feed on invertebrates. Berries become more important in the fall. In winter, waste grain from agricultural fields has become a primary food source. After the chicks are big enough to fly, they fatten up to begin their journey to find a place to migrate. When the Snow Geese are getting ready to leave Alaska, they are hunted and caught for food. The reason they are hunted for food is because they make a great meal when they are nice and fat. When they are fat there meat tastes good and juicy. Most people like them fried or stewed and even roasted. The best part of a Snow Goose is the gizzard. Most people like the gizzard are because they are so good when they fried with rice, soup, and fried rice. What I have learned was that the Snow Goose flies in a population of five million and they not only fly with their own kind they fly with two other types of geese; Grey goose and the blue goose. I also learned that the snow goose doesn’t leave their family for about two to three years.

If you want more information these are the webs sites there are:
“Snow Goose Habitat” (online) [|www.rw.ttu.edu/sp-accounts/snow_goose_habitat.htm], “Snow Goose” (online) [] , “All about Snow Geese” (online) [], “Snow Goose Life History” (online) [|www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/snow_goose/lifehistory], “Snow Goose Wet Lands” (online) [|http://digitalsportsman.com/wetlands/sgoose1.htm], “Snow Goose Life History # at behavior” (online) <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">[|www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/snow_goose/lifehistory#at_behavior] ,