Canada Goose

Description:

This Canadian Goose Family needed a little help to get to the Chicago River! "Canada geese have black necks, bills, and heads with a white strap under their chins and occasional white patches on other parts of their body. The body of Canada geese is usually brownish-gray although subspecies have slightly different colors. In some of the smaller subspecies the body is dark brown in color whereas, in some of the larger subspecies, the body is a light gray. The subspecies also differ in their average weights. Underneath, the colors are much lighter and almost white on the tail. During flight the tail shows a white semi-circle just above the black tail. Females look similar to males, but may be slightly smaller. Canada geese have strong, tapered bills that are bordered with lamellae. Lamellae are teeth-like projections of the bill that are used to cut vegetation. Their feet are black. These geese have large wings that can be used as weapons by thrashing them at intruders. The wingspan of Canada geese ranges from 127 to 173 cm. Goslings, or young Canada geese, are yellow with some greenish-gray coloring on top of their heads and backs. Goslings in different subspecies are slightly differently colored. Goslings of the darker subspecies have a brownish olive or blunt yellow coloring while those of the lighter subspecies are lighter and brighter in color. These colors fade as the gosling grows into the adult color pattern. All goslings have black or blue-gray bills and legs that become darker as they age. Range mass: 1100 to 8000 g. Range length: 90 to 200 cm. Range wingspan: 127 to 173 cm. Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry Sexual Dimorphism: male larger" From the Encyclopedia of Life http://eol.org/pages/913235/details#phys...

Habitat:

"Canada Geese are found near waterways in open, grassy habitats such as grasslands, chaparral, and arctic tundra. They also inhabit man-made habitats that are open and grassy, such as golf courses, agricultural land, airports, and parks. Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial ; freshwater Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; savanna or grassland Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams; coastal Wetlands: marsh Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural ; riparian" From the Encyclopedia of Life http://eol.org/pages/913235/details#habi...