Canada Goose

Scientific Name: Branta canadensis

Habitat: lakes, rivers, bays, and marshes.* Some live in lakes in city parks and reservoirs and others may live in urban areas ideal for mating and raising a brood (landscapes lakes with lots of bluegrass around).*

Diet: fallen grain (in fields) and wild rice, sedges, other aquatic plants, insects, larvae, crustaceans, and small mollusks (in marshes).* Canada geese are like surface-feeding ducks when on top of the water and they are known to feed on newly sprouted lawns and established lawns (urban areas).* They have regular feeding habits and will return to the same spot to feed day after day if left undisturbed.*

Coloration: a brown-grey body with a long black neck, black head, black bill, a white throat patch that extends to the cheeks, a brown-white breast and belly, and a white undertail.*

Mating: Early April is the start of the breeding season and the female goose (hen) builds her nest near a lake or a tub of water and adds down from her body to the nest when the eggs are laid.* The hen will lay 5-6 eggs and incubates them for 24-30 days, with the gander (male goose) standing guard.* Both parents care for the babies (goslings) and the goslings stay with their parents throughout the summer, the annual migration in the fall, and the winter.*

Fun Facts: Canada geese can weigh anywhere from 8 to 13 pounds and can be 22 to 40 inches long.* Males are typically bigger than the females but the farther north you go, the size of the geese decreases.*

Sources:
*http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Birds/CanadaGoose.htm