Canada Goose
(Branta canadensis)

Summary

Picture of bird
© Marek Szczepanek - License
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The Canada Goose is widespread in Canada. The species is divided into different management units based on breeding and wintering ranges: the Subarctic-breeding populations and the Temperate-breeding populations. The Subarctic breeding populations nest at higher latitudes across North America, from Alaska to Labrador and even into western Greenland. Most Subarctic-breeding populations have remained relatively stable since the early 2000s. The Temperate-breeding populations nest in southern Canada, from British Columbia to the Maritimes (but not in Newfoundland). These populations have grown so quickly in size that they sometimes enter into conflict with humans, cause crop damage, and even represent hazards in some areas (e.g., airports). Over the past 30 years, hunting regulations for Temperate-breeding Canada Goose populations have been gradually liberalized to mitigate these issues. Other management practices, including egg addling, prevention of nesting, and landscape management have complemented the liberalized harvest. In Canada, the harvest of Canada Geese has been steadily increasing since the 1970s. For information specific to each population, please see the accounts 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:

Canada Goose - Subarctic Breeding Populations
Canada Goose - Temperate Breeding Populations
 

Designations

Main designations for the species
DesignationStatusDateSubspecies, population
IUCN (Global)Least concern2018 
Bird Conservation Region StrategyPriority Species2013 

Population status

Geographic area or populationPopulation change relative to ~1970ReliabilityStatus in relation to goal
CanadaNot AvailableNot AvailableNot Applicable
 

Population estimate

Geographic area or populationPopulation estimate
Canada1,000,000 - 5,000,000 birds
 

Distribution maps

 

Migration strategy, occurrence

Short-distance migrant

Responsibility for conservation

Geographic areaResponsibility based on % of global population
CanadaHigh

Conservation and management

Subarctic-breeding populations

Subarctic-breeding populations are relatively stable, with the exception of the Southern James Bay and Mississippi Valley populations (now grouped into the Southern Hudson Bay population). Numbers of Canada Geese nesting on Akimiski Island in James Bay have declined from approximately 75 000 birds in 1985 to approximately 12 000 birds in 2013. The specific causes of the decline are uncertain, but could be related to poor growth conditions for goslings resulting from habitat degradation by staging Lesser Snow Geese in brood-rearing areas. Similarly, numbers of the Mississippi Valley population have declined since the beginning of the survey in 1989 and the specific causes of the decline are uncertain. Canada Goose populations will continue to be monitored closely. Although the decline in the Mississippi Valley population is of concern, the current management plan states that management action should not be considered until it is clear that the breeding population is staying consistently below the threshold level for 3 consecutive years and that other population dynamic metrics, such as productivity, survival, and harvest rate, concur with the decline.

Temperate-breeding populations

For Temperate-breeding populations, human-goose conflicts are the biggest management concern in southern Canada. Problem populations of resident and urban Canada Geese are primarily controlled by municipalities and through federal hunting regulations. Key management practices include egg addling, prevention of nesting, landscape management, and relocation of moulting flocks to areas where they can be subjected to hunting mortality. More information about the management and population control of Canada and Cackling Geese in southern Canada can be found on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s migratory bird conservation website. The harvest of Canada Geese has been on the rise, with the continental harvest surpassing 2 million annually since the 2000s.

 

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.

BCRs, marine biogeographic units, and sub-regions in which the species is listed as a priority
RegionSub-region and priority type
Arctic Plains and MountainsArctic Plains and Mountains, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NL -- Other
Arctic Plains and MountainsArctic Plains and Mountains, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Other
Arctic Plains and MountainsArctic Plains and Mountains, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Other
Atlantic Northern ForestsAtlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NB -- Management
Atlantic Northern ForestsAtlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NS -- Management
Atlantic Northern ForestsAtlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, PE -- Other
Atlantic Northern ForestsAtlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Other
Boreal Hardwood TransitionBoreal Hardwood Transition, sub-region and priority type: Ontario and Manitoba -- Conservation & Management
Boreal Softwood ShieldBoreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NL -- Other
Boreal Softwood ShieldBoreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Other
Great BasinGreat Basin, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Management
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NB -- Management
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NL -- Other
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NS -- Management
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, PE -- Other
Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence PlainLower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain, sub-region and priority type: Ontario -- Conservation & Management
Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence PlainLower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Management
Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves , sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NL -- Other
Northern Pacific RainforestNorthern Pacific Rainforest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Other
Northern RockiesNorthern Rockies, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Management
Northwestern Interior ForestNorthwestern Interior Forest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Stewardship
Prairie PotholesPrairie Potholes, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Management
Scotian ShelfScotian Shelf, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NB -- Management
Scotian ShelfScotian Shelf, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NS -- Management
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainsTaiga Shield and Hudson Plains, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NL -- Other
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainsTaiga Shield and Hudson Plains, sub-region and priority type: Ontario -- Conservation
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainsTaiga Shield and Hudson Plains, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Conservation
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainsTaiga Shield and Hudson Plains, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Other
 

References