Canada Geese

Description:

Canada Geese have black heads with a white chinstrap. It is 75-110 cm(30-43 in) in length, has a wingspan of about 127-185 cm(50-73 in), and the bill can range from 4.1-6.8 cm(1.6-2.7 in) in length. Males are usually 3.2-6.5 kg(7.1-14lbs), while females are generally a little bit smaller and lighter, running from 2.5-5.5 kg(5.5-12lbs). Canada Geese are light brown on the body, and get to a darker brown. They are white underneath towards the butt, and even have some black on the "tail" you can say. They are herbivores, but sometimes they eat insects and fish. They eat vegetation, grains, as well as many different types of grasses. When they eat grass, they grasp the blade of grass with their bill, and they tear it by jerking their head back and forth. They also eat aquatic plants like seaweed, and are known to pick from garbage cans in urban areas. When they're by water, they'll eat silt. They can get sick with the flu. The flu they get is called "H5N1", bird flu. Their predators are coyotes, wolves, and eagles. They can live up to 24 years of age. In order to reproduce, they first must mate. Canada Geese typically find mates in the second year of life, and their mate, only one, is for life. They only get another if the first one dies. The females lay 2-9 eggs, with a average of 5. The mothers stay with their babies at the nest longer than the father does. I found these geese near my house. They were across the street from my house in a pond. They were found near 41.56 N, and 88.17 W. It is said that the name "Canada Goose" came from Carl Linnaeus. The Kingdom is Animalia, Phylum is Chordata, Class is Aves, Order is Anseriformes, Family is Anatidae, Genus is Branta, and Species is Branta canadensis. I found these geese in a pond that is across my house, which is in the Plainfield district. These geese are seen usually from spring to fall, and they can sustain pretty cold temperatures. There isn't a lot of strong or medium wind where I found them, but there is wind, and it's starting to get bad in the winter. The wind does move the water that they rest on, but they rest on a lake, so the wind doesn't really have an effect on them. It's never really humid at all, and there is a good amount of light and brightness, unless the clouds are passing by, or if they're by the trees where there is shade.

Habitat:

The Canada Geese are native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, as well as northern United States, such as North Dakota, Minnesota, the Great Lakes region, and even Illinois, as well as many other state. They occasionally migrate to northern Europe. They have been seen in Britain, New Zealand, and other temperate regions. They have also been seen between California and South Carolina and northern Mexico migrating. What's really shocking is that they've been seen in Siberia, China, Japan, British Isles, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Scandinavia, and Finland. They live in Esquimalt, British Colombia, Chesapeake Bay, near Virginia's James River, and North Carolina. They mainly live in North America.

Notes:

My mom took this picture, as well as the picture of the praying mantis, snake, and deer, but I did all the research, and all of this on November 24, 2013. I used Wikipedia, and http://whatsmygps.com.