Snow Goose
(Anser caerulescens)

Overview

Summary

© Gilles Gonthier
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

Two subspecies of Snow Goose are recognized for management purposes: the Lesser Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) and the Greater Snow Goose (A. c. atlantica). Both subspecies nest in the High Arctic. The Lesser Snow Goose nests from Eastern Russia (e.g., Wrangel Island) to Baffin Island, while the Greater Snow Goose nests in the Eastern High Arctic. Both subspecies have increased significantly since the 1970s, and their populations have been designated as overabundant. Special conservation measures and managment responses have been taken to control the growth of these populations. For additional details, please see the accounts for Lesser and Greater Snow Goose (links below). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

See also:

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation

General nesting period in Canada

Conservation and management

Greater Snow Goose

In 1965, the Greater Snow Goose population was estimated at 25,000 geese. The population grew and reached 100,000 birds by the 1970s. Starting in mid-1980s, the population entered a period of rapid growth and reached 1 million birds by 1999. In an effort to stop population growth and reduce the Greater Snow Goose population, special conservation measures were put in place. Following the implementation of these measures, the growth of the Greater Snow Goose population appears to have stabilized. Spring survey data suggest that the population has fluctuated between about 700,000 and 1 million birds since 1998 (see the Greater Snow Goose account for more details or consult the Migratory Game Birds Regulations in Canada reports).

Lesser Snow Goose

Lesser Snow Goose populations have become so large since the 1970s that, in some areas, they are affecting the plant communities at staging areas and Arctic breeding grounds on which they and other species rely. These geese have the potential to alter Arctic habitats during spring and summer, cause crop depredation during fall and winter, and create potential dangers to other species and their habitats. Population increases are strongly believed to be tied to large-scale changes in land use, mainly involving the conversion of much of the North American landscape into agricultural crop land. Spillage from mechanized harvesting results in millions of bushels of waste grain lying on the ground, and geese are one group of birds that have greatly benefited from this superabundant food source. In an effort to stop population growth and reduce population size, special conservation harvest have been implemented (see the Lesser Snow Goose account for more details or consult the Migratory Game Birds Regulations in Canada reports).

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 (CWS) Waterfowl Committee. 2017. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2017. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 49. 221 pp. Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Waterfowl Committee. 2017. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2017. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 49. 221 pp. (Link)