order Anseriformes: ducks, geese & swans
family Anatidae: ducks, geese & swans
Snow Goose #13, Glenn County California 16 November 2020
Snow Goose #12, Glenn County California 13 November 2019
Snow Goose #11, Colusa County California 24 January 2014
Field identification tips: The Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens) can be difficult to distinguish from the very similar Ross's Goose (Anser rossii) because the differences can be hard to see at a distance. A. caerulescens is slightly larger and longer-necked, the bill is proporionally longer, and has a black 'grinning patch' where the upper and lower bill meet. Both A. caerulescens and A. rossii have a rare 'blue' color morph with darker body contour and wing covert feathers.
Typical range: This bird can be found in much of North America, breeding in the coastal arctic and wintering in wetlands of the Lower 48 and Mexico. Some migration to North America of birds breeding in Siberia and Greenland has been observed.
Habitat: A. caerulescens prefers open habitats like marshes, grasslands, marine inlets, freshwater ponds, and agricultural fields.
all photographs Copyright © Douglas Herr
last updated 28 November 2024