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Canada Goose
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
We have thousands of they geese in our area most of the year. The real hardy ones, like this guy, spend all year here. In the late winter, those that decide to stay, need to find open water to swim and feed in. This goose was swimming along with about 20 others in a small open water stretch of the Fox River just above the Dundee bridge.
From Wikipedia:
The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) is a goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to North America. It is occasionally called the Canadian Goose, but that name is not strictly correct, according to the American Ornithologists' Union.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first citation for the 'Canada Goose' dates back to 1772.
The Canada Goose was one of the many species described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae. It belongs to the Branta genus of geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey species of the Anser genus. The specific epithet canadensis is a New Latin word meaning "of Canada".
Description
The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" distinguish the Canada Goose from all, except the Barnacle Goose, but the latter has a black breast, and grey, rather than brownish, body plumage. There are seven subspecies of this bird, of varying sizes and plumage details, but all are recognizable as Canada Geese. Some of the smaller races can be hard to distinguish from the newly-separated Cackling Goose.
This species is 76-110 cm (30-43 in) long with a 127-180 cm (50-71 in) wingspan. The male usually weighs 3.2–6.5 kg, (7–14 pounds), and can be very aggressive in defending territory. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter at 2.5–5.5 kg (5.5–12 pounds), generally 10% smaller than its male counterpart, and has a different honk.
The life span in the wild is 10–24 years.
Enjoy - Bob |
jaycee, Noisette has marked this note useful
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- jaycee
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(25460) - [2009-01-31 10:55]
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Hi Bob,
I haven't seen a Canadian Goose in water for years! No water here in Tucson. But we had flocks and flocks of them in NJ. A very nice shot of this one enjoying his swim. I love the deep rich colors and the excellent details of his face and feathers. Nice reflections and swirls in the water.
Jane
hello Bob
wonderful picture of this canada goose swimming in the water
the colors are intense and great details especially on the brown wings
TFS Jacqueline
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