Snow geese can be identified in flight by their white body and dark wingtips. (hjhipster/Flickr)
The snow goose is a plump, white bird that visits the Chesapeake Bay region in winter.
Appearance:
Mostly white body
Black wingtips
Pink, serrated bill with a black “grin patch” on the side
In its blue morph, has a white head, grayish-blue body and pale bluish wings
Grows to about 38 inches with a wingspan of about 59 inches
Habitat:
Lives mostly in isolated farm fields along the water
Traditionally found on tidal marshes and wetlands
Lives in large flocks that may number in the thousands
Range:
Visits the Chesapeake Bay region, especially the Delmarva Peninsula, beginning in late November
Returns to its northern breeding grounds in early March
Feeding:
Feeds mostly on the rootstocks of grasses and farm grains
Also eats marsh grasses such as rushes and cattails
Uses its serrated bill to dig rootstocks out of the ground, rather than grazing
Predators:
Humans hunt snow geese
Foxes prey on eggs and young geese on their breeding grounds
Flight:
Flocks fly in long, diagonal or V-shaped patterns
Can be identified in flight by its white body and dark wingtips
Voice:
Shrill, nasal la-uk or houck-houck
Snow Goose courtesy of Pamela C. Rasmussen/Avian Vocalizations Center
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
Does not breed in the Bay region
Returns to the Arctic tundra of northeast Canada to nest and breed
White geese interbreed with those in the blue morph. Snow geese tend to choose a breeding partner that resembles their parents’ coloring.
Actual lifespan is not known, but is believed to be more than 15 years in the wild
Other Facts:
Has one of the largest populations of any goose in the world. Snow geese rank behind only Canada geese in population size and harvest.
The blue goose was once thought to be a distinct species, but it is now known to be a dark phase of the snow goose. A snow goose’s color is determined by genetics.
