Ross's Goose
(Chen rossii)

Overview

Summary

© Ken Billington - License
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The vast majority of Ross’s Geese breed in the Queen Maud Gulf Region in the central Canadian Arctic but increasing numbers are being found along the western coast of the Hudson Bay. Considered a rare species in the early part of the last century, Ross’s Goose numbers have been increasing since the mid-1990s and have greatly surpassed levels in the 1970s. In 2014, Ross’s Geese were designated as overabundant and are now subject to special measures to control their numbers. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

Increasing numbers of Ross’s Geese contribute, in some areas, to the degradation of their breeding and staging areas through their foraging activities. In Canada, the Ross’s Goose was designated as overabundant in June 2014. Harvest has been liberalized and an additional hunting season was added in spring 2015.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Canadian Wildlife Service Waterfowl Committee. 2014. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2014. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 44. Canadian Wildlife Service Waterfowl Committee. 2014. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2014. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 44. (Link)