Snow Goose
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Chen (disputed) Species: C. caerulescens
Binomial name
Chen caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
C. c. caerulescens (Lesser Snow Goose) C. c. atlanticus (Greater Snow Goose)
Synonyms
Anser caerulescens (but see text) Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (3081 × 2050 pixel, file size: 4. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Families Anhimidae Anseranatidae Anatidae †Dromornithidae †Presbyornithidae The order Anseriformes contains about 150 species of birds in three families: the Anhimidae (the screamers), Anseranatidae (the Magpie-goose), and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans. ... Subfamilies Dendrocygninae Thalassorninae Anserinae Stictonettinae Plectropterinae Tadorninae Anatinae Aythyinae Merginae Oxyurinae and see text Anatidae is the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swan. ... Other uses: Goose (disambiguation) Genera Anser Branta Chen Cereopsis † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae Goose (plural geese) is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Year 1758 (MDCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the zoological term. ... In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. ...

The Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed. The American Ornithologists' Union and BirdLife International for example place this species and the other two "white" geese in Chen, while some other authorities place it in the more traditional "grey" goose genus Anser. North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... “Geese” redirects here. ... Closeup on a single white feather A feather is one of the epidermal growths that forms the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on a bird. ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ... The American Ornithologists Union (AOU) an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders. ... BirdLife International is the international conservation organization working to protect the world’s birds and their habitats. ... Other uses: Goose (disambiguation) Genera Anser Branta Chen Cereopsis † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae Goose (plural geese) is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. ... Species see text. ...

This goose breeds in northern Canada and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and winters much further south in the continent in the southern USA and beyond. “Geese” redirects here. ... “Siberian” redirects here. ...

This species is a rare vagrant to Europe, but a frequent escape from collections and an occasional feral breeder. For example, Snow Geese are rare visitors to the British Isles where they are seen regularly among flocks of Barnacle, Brent and Greenland White-fronted geese. There is also a feral population in Scotland from which many vagrant birds in Britain seem to derive. In Central America, vagrants are not infrequently encountered during the winter months^[1]. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... This article describes the archipelago in north-Western Europe. ... Binomial name Branta leucopsis (Bechstein, 1803) The Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. ... Binomial name Branta bernicla (Linnaeus, 1758) The Brent Goose (Branta bernicla) is a goose of the genus Branta, known in North America as Brant. ... Binomial name Anser albifrons (Scopoli, 1769) Subspecies (European White-fronted Goose) (Pacific White-fronted Goose) (Gambels White-fronted Goose) (Tule Goose) (Greenland White-fronted Goose) The White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) is a goose closely related to the smaller Lesser White-fronted Goose (). In North America it is known... A feral horse (an American mustang) in Wyoming A feral animal or plant is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to its wild state. ... This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...

Description

The smaller of the two subspecies, the Lesser Snow Goose (C. c. caerulescens), lives from central northern Canada to the Bering Straits area. It commonly occurs in two plumage morphs. White-morph birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-morph geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing most of the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. White- and blue-morph birds do interbreed and the offspring may be of either morph. The larger subspecies, the Greater Snow Goose (C. c. atlanticus), nests to the north of eastern Canada. Blue-morph birds are rare among the Greater Snow Geese. This article is about the zoological term. ... Satellite photo of the Bering Strait Bering Strait is also a country music band The Bering Strait is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, the eastmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, the westernmost point of the American continent, about 85 km in width, with a... In biology, polymorphism can be defined as the occurrence in the same habitat of two or more forms of a trait in such frequencies that the rarer cannot be maintained by recurrent mutation alone. ...

Ecology

Snow geese mainly eat plant material found in shallow water or on land. Outside of the nesting season, they usually feed in flocks. In winter, snow geese feed on left-over grain in fields. They migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers.

Their nests are usually located in a slightly elevated location on the ground, built with plant material and lined with down. They mate for life. Faithfulness redirects here. ...

The population of Greater Snow Geese was in decline at the beginning of the 20th century, but has now recovered to sustainable levels. Snow Geese in North America have increased to the point where the tundra breeding areas in the Arctic and the saltmarsh wintering grounds are both becoming severely degraded, and this affects other species using the same habitat. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... For other uses, see Tundra (disambiguation). ...

Blue morph Lesser Snow Goose at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, Gloucestershire, England. Download high resolution version (600x840, 128 KB)Lesser Snow Goose at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, Gloucestershire, England. ... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Closeup of blue morph head Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 1500 pixel, file size: 345 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Anser caerulescens (Snow Goose) blue phase, captive. ...

Snow Geese wintering at the Bosque del Apache, New Mexico; note blue-morph bird at far upper left Download high resolution version (980x670, 143 KB)snow goose photo by Einar Einarsson Kvaran File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in southern Socorro County, New Mexico, is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ...

Snow Geese at the Bosque del Apache, New Mexico; note two blue-morph birds in center Download high resolution version (980x670, 113 KB)snow goose photo by Einar Einarsson Kvaran File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Herrera et al. (2006)

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Chen caerulescens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
• Herrera, Néstor; Rivera, Roberto; Ibarra Portillo, Ricardo & Rodríguez, Wilfredo (2006): Nuevos registros para la avifauna de El Salvador. ["New records for the avifauna of El Salvador"]. Boletín de la Sociedad Antioqueña de Ornitología 16(2): 1-19. [Spanish with English abstract] PDF fulltext

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Snow Goose

• US Fish & Wildlife Service
• Snow Goose Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• The Nature Conservancy's Species profile: Snow Goose Learn more about the conservation of these geese
• Picture Link: Snow Geese taking flight in Addison, VT
• Snow Goose Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
• Snow Goose Chen caerulescens - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter