Canada Goose - Subarctic Breeding Populations
(Branta canadensis)

Summary

Picture of bird
© Col Frankland

Subarctic-breeding Canada Goose populations breed in northern regions of North America, from Alaska to Labrador. They migrate over relatively long distances to reach their wintering grounds, which are mostly located in the nothern half of the United States, although some will overwinter further south, as well as in southern Canada. For management purposes, Subarctic-breeding Canada Geese have been grouped into sub-populations. These sub-populations have changed over time to streamline and improve management and monitoring. For example, the Southern Hudson Bay population was implemented in 2016 and combines the former Southern James Bay, Mississippi Valley, and Eastern Prairie populations. Current Subarctic-breeding Canada Geese sub-populations include the: North Atlantic, Atlantic, Southern Hudson Bay, and Pacific populations. Though most Subarctic-breeding populations have been relatively stable since the early 2000s, some populations have undergone dramatic variations, such as the Atlantic sub-population (see Population status page for more details). In Canada, the harvest of Canada Geese is carefully managed, and has increased since the 1970s. 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
Canada Goose - Temperate Breeding Populations
 

Designations

Main designations for the species
DesignationStatusDateSubspecies, population
IUCN (Global)Least Concern2018 
Wild Species (Canada)Secure2016 
Bird Conservation Region StrategyPriority Species2013 

Population status

Geographic area or populationPopulation change relative to ~1970ReliabilityStatus in relation to goal
CanadaNot AvailableNot AvailableNot Applicable
North Atlantic populationLittle ChangeHighAt an Acceptable Level
Atlantic populationLarge IncreaseHighAt an Acceptable Level
Southern Hudson Bay populationLittle ChangeLowAt an Acceptable Level
Pacific populationData DeficientData DeficientData Deficient
 

Population estimate

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

Distribution maps

 

Conservation and management

Populations of Subarctic-breeding Canada Goose are carefully managed through harvest in Canada and the United States, and although most populations now appear relatively stable, some have undergone dramatic changes. For example, the once-heavily hunted Atlantic population peaked at nearly 1 million birds during the 1970s, before experiencing a sharp decline until 1995 which prompted authorities to completely close the sport hunting season for this sub-population until 1999. In the following years, the population recovered rapidly and appears stable since 2002 in its core breeding range. Currently, the Southern James Bay and the Mississippi Valley populations of Canada Geese, now managed collectively as the Southern Hudson Bay Population (as of 2016), appear to be declining. 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 (Leafloor et al. 1996, Brook and Hughes 2014). The specific causes of the decline are unclear, but could be related to poor growth conditions for goslings (Hill et al. 2003) resulting from habitat degradation by staging Lesser Snow Geese in brood-rearing areas (Jefferies et al. 2006). Similarly, numbers of the Canada Geese from the Mississippi Valley area have been declining since 1989; the specific causes of the decline are equally unclear. Although the decline in the Mississippi Valley area is concerning, 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. As such, Subarctic-breeding Canada Goose populations will continue to be monitored closely.

 

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: Newfoundland and Labrador -- Conservation
Arctic Plains and MountainsArctic Plains and Mountains, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Conservation
Arctic Plains and MountainsArctic Plains and Mountains, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Conservation
Boreal Softwood ShieldBoreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Newfoundland and Labrador -- Conservation
Boreal Softwood ShieldBoreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Conservation
Northern Pacific RainforestNorthern Pacific Rainforest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Conservation
Northwestern Interior ForestNorthwestern Interior Forest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Conservation
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainTaiga Shield and Hudson Plain, sub-region and priority type: Newfoundland and Labrador -- Conservation
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainTaiga Shield and Hudson Plain, sub-region and priority type: Ontario -- Conservation
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainTaiga Shield and Hudson Plain, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Conservation
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainTaiga Shield and Hudson Plain, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Conservation
 

References