About Canada Goose: Appearance, biology, life cycle, habitat, diet, behavior

Canada geese are big birds that weighs at least 20lbs. They have long necks that are black with bodies that show off some white to grey colors. The variation of colors depends on each bird and some may even appear like brown than any other.

Distinctive appearance
You can easily recognize one with the distinguishing white marks below its eye and also by looking behind its bill. One thing you can be sure about is the head color along with its very unique stance.

Canada geese have black heads and have sturdy webbed feet that can go against the toughest currents. Known to seek food and shelter on streams, their wings can open as wide as 6 feet and can easily fly as soon as they get out of the water.

Circle of life
A Canada goose can be found anywhere in Asia, Europe and North America. They breed mostly in the US and Canada as long as there is a body of water or a riverbank.

Each Canada goose can lay as much as 3-8 eggs per year. Once they found their mate, they breed with the same bird in their entire lifespan. Only until one of them dies they will look for a new bird to mate with.

Other wild animals such as bears, ravens, raccoons and foxes hunt for goose eggs as their major food source.

Up and away
Since these birds leave their places of origin, they are considered as migratory birds. Canada geese leave their habitats to seek warmth during wintertime. You can easily spot a group of migrating geese with the way they take their flight (V-shape). When they reach their new place, they sometimes become aggressive and can scare off some people that are not comfortable having them around.

What it takes to survive
Canada geese live in aquatic places so there can be no doubt they eat fishes, algae and even small insects that stays by the lake or pond. Their diet is not limited to aquatic resources because they also eat along cornfields and wheat fields. In fact, these birds also eat leftovers (e.g. breador anything from fast foods that humans tend to feed them). Due to this, some migratory birds steal foods from children, which causes nuisance to people spending time at the park, at the golf course, or just about everywhere there is water.