Daily Bird: Snow Goose

Snow Goose, in front of Canada Goose. Photo by Christina Cole.

January 19, 2021 — It might be easier to find a Snow Goose in Connecticut right now than it is to find actual snow (although not that much easier). But it’s always worth scrutinizing large flocks of Canada Geese for this brumal visitor.

Snow Goose
Chen caerulescens

by Andy Griswold, EcoTravel Director
Snow Goose occurs each winter in Connecticut but only in limited numbers, unlike the massive flocks found on the Delmarva Peninsula, the Nebraska wetlands, and the rice fields of Arkansas.

You can expect to typically find one or two birds mixed in with large flocks of Canada Geese. Most records are from inland sites – from farm fields or of birds resting on lakes. Agricultural fields are your best bet in winter when this Arctic nesting species moves to the south.

This month, individual birds have been seen at Mill Woods Pond, Wethersfield, and Edgewood Park, New Haven, as well as in Watertown and Durham.

What it looks like: Snow Goose is a medium-sized goose that ranges in size from about 26 inches to 33 inches, making it significantly smaller than the largest Canada Goose but larger than a Cackling Goose. The silhouette of this bird will reveal a relatively thick-necked goose with a strong bill.

Of course, an all-white goose will stick out on Connecticut’s gray winter landscape, one of just a few birds of this size to tout all white plumage and black primaries. Snow Goose, like the smaller Ross’s Goose, does have a blue color morph, or form, which might make you think you are looking at another species altogether. To separate Snow from Ross’s, focus on the proportions of beak to head size where Ross’s is noticeably diminutive.

Snow Goose. Photo courtesy of Christina Cole.

Be sure to check these goose flocks carefully as they historically have contained other unusual species including Pink-footed Goose, Cackling Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Barnacle Goose, and Northern Lapwing.

Conservation status: Hunting of Snow Goose has been allowed in many states since 1975 as a result of population recovery from the overhunting that took place prior to the 1916 ban.

In some Arctic areas, the recovery has been so strong that habitat eutrophication has become an issue. Snow Geese are such efficient processors of vegetation that they can generate as many as 15 droppings per hour, a rate that is highest in birds foraging on high fiber rhizomes. This degradation of habitat not only compromises Snow Goose breeding success, but also that of some Arctic nesting shorebird species.