Snow Goose

Chen caerulescens

The snow goose is a plump, long-necked waterfowl species with a mostly white body. Adults have:

• Black wingtips.
• A pinkish, serrated bill with a black “grin patch” on the side.

In its dark phase (sometimes known as the blue goose), snow geese have a white head, dark body and pale bluish wings.

Snow geese grow to about 38 inches with a wingspan of about 59 inches.

Where does the snow goose live?

Snow geese migrate to the Bay region in late November. Flocks of hundreds or thousands of snow geese are a common sight in Eastern Shore marshes and agricultural fields. By early March they begin their migration back to their Arctic nesting grounds.

What does the snow goose eat?

Snow geese feed mostly on the rootstocks of agricultural grains and grasses, which they dig out of the ground using their serrated bills.

What does the snow goose sound like?

Snow geese have a shrill, nasally call that sounds similar to a dog's bark. They also gabble as they feed in open fields.

Where does the snow goose nest and breed?

Snow geese do not nest or breed in the Bay region; they do so in the Arctic each summer.

Other facts about the snow goose:

• Flocks of snow geese fly in long diagonal or V-shaped formations.
• The blue goose was once thought to be a distinct species; it is now known to be a color morph of the snow goose.