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| Image from: http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/ |
If you live just about anywhere in the United States or Canada you have almost certainly seen Canada Geese (Branata canadensis) forming a wedge in the sky while they honk their way south for winter; and you will see them again, honking their way back north at winter’s end. They are one of the most recognizable birds in North America and they seem to thrive in both the most rural to the most urban of environments. Some consider their abundance a nuisance, but that may be the price we pay for one of the most successful conservation stories in history.
By the early 20th century over hunting and wetland destruction had been all but wiped out the Canada Goose.[8] By the 1950s one subspecies, the Giant Canada Goose (Branata canadensis maxima), was labeled extinct. A decade later waterfowl researcher Forrest Lee was studying a small population of geese in at Silver Lake in Minnesota when his birds were identified as the now no-longer-extinct subspecies.[2] Two years later Lee agreed to pack up for North Dakota where he headed an aggressive reintroduction and restoration program for the giant geese at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. Using 64 pairs of birds, Lee’s program released over 6,000 geese into North Dakota by 1981.[3] As a legacy to his success, by 2005, only 50 years after it was thought extinct, the Giant Canada Goose’s population was estimated at 1.5 million and they can be found all across the Eastern United States and Canada.[2] Several other programs have helped different subspecies thrive and today Canada Geese number about 5 million in all.[4] After his success in Minnesota, Lee was recruited to help other geese populations around the world, and his abundant success earned him the affectionate nickname “Father Goose.”[3]
It is largely because of Lee and researchers like him that we can appreciate today's abundance of geese flying overhead twice a year, but more and more geese are not being seen migrating, they are becoming year-round residents. While their natural patterns dictate migration, many geese wont fly as far south or appear to have given it up entirely.These new behaviors are likely due a combination of many factors such as changing climate and a new abundance of food right at their doorstep. Abundant lawns and golf courses mimic their natural habitats and diet, and agricultural fields often contain a wealth of waste seed that the provide the geese with more than enough food to survive the winter and do not require the much more arduous trip south.[5]
The non-migratory situation is further complicated by baby geese, or goslings. Migration is not instinctual and must be learned, and goslings must learn it from their parents. Non-migratory parents beget non-migratory goslings, and the number of permanent resident geese has increased alarmingly.[6]
While a few geese might be annoying, the increasing numbers of year-round geese has become a serious concern. Geese can excrete 1 to 3 pounds of excrement per day and geese are known carriers of many pathogens, some of which can be transferred to humans, such as avian influenza, salmonella, and botulism.[1][6] The birds often make their deposits on lawns, in parks, and in water sources.The geese can also severely damage local agriculture and have even been known to crash airplanes by being sucked into the engines.[7][9] Several methods are being taken to curb population growth, not the least of which is hunting. 2.6 million geese are shot out of the sky every year but so far it seems to have little effect.[5] Despite our best efforts to stop the the population’s rapid proliferation, the Canada Goose continues to show us just how successful a conservation program can be.
Additional Sources:
- http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/canada-goose#ad-image-0
- http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/canada-goose/
