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Canada Geese

Canada Geese

North Dakota Game Species
Fact Sheet
Scientific Name Branta canadensis
Wing spread 48-68 inches
Body length 16-36-plus inches
Weight 2.8-14 pounds
Description Both sexes have black heads, necks and bills,with white cheek patches, and grayish-brown backs and wings. The breast and belly gradating from gray to white, and legs and bills are black.
Nesting Habitat Highly variable in nest site selection, ranging from dense marshes and muskeg to bucket-type cavity nests in broken off trees.
Clutch size 5 eggs
Incubation period 26 days
Status in North Dakota The Canada goose is common to abundant during migration and nesting seasons in North Dakota. Will winter along river systems where open water is available.
Food habits Grazes primarily on grasses, clover and cultivated crops. Feed heavily on agricultural crops during migration and on wintering grounds.
Fun Facts Included within the species are 11 races of geese, ranging in size from diminutive cackling geese, weighing about three pounds, to the giant Canada goose which averages 12-14 pounds. The giant Canada was once thought extinct, but from a few birds discovered in the early 1960s, it has become the most numerous of the 11 races.