Canada Goose races in Ohio: Relative hue and size {mass}


LIGHTEST DARKEST
LARGEST "Giant" {long-billed}
10-15% smaller "Western" {long-billed} "Dusky" {short-billed}
20-25% smaller "Atlantic"{long-billed} "Interior" {long-billed}
50-55% smaller "Lesser" {short-billed} "Taverner's {shorter billed}
65-70% smaller "Richardson's" {stub-billed} "Aleutian" {stub-billed} "Cackling" {stub-billed}

The smallest Canada Geese still average 15% larger than a large Mallard Anas platyrhynchos


Based on information from Bellrose, F. 1980. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvannia. | Godfrey W. E. 1986. The birds of Canada. National Museum of Canada. Ottawa, Canada. | James, R. 1991. Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Ontario. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

In Ohio the semi-domestic B.c. maxima "Giant" Canada Goose is resident. The common migrant is B.c. interior "Interior" Canada Goose. B. c. hutchinsii "Richardson's" Canada Goose is a rare winter visitor. I am not aware of any specific record of B.c. parvipes "Lesser" Canada goose although James 1991 indicates that it is "probably a rare transient in NW Ontario. I don't see why either moffitti of the western Canadian prairies or canadensis of the NE maritimes could not occur although field identification is unlikely.

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research/graphic design/construction/maintenance by Vic Fazio (vfazio@bright.net) / last modified 13 Jan. 1997