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Snow Goose
(Anser caerulescens)
: "Lesser Snow Goose" (race "caerulescens");
"Greater Snow Goose" (race "atlanticus")
 German name(s): "Kleine Schneegans" (race "caerulescens");
"Große Schneegans" (race "atlanticus")
Size: 64-79 cm (race "caerulescens");
72-86 cm (race "atlanticus")
wing span 1.35-1.65 m (both races)
Weight: 2.05-2.7 kg (race "caerulescens");
3.2 kg (average; race "atlanticus")
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Snow Geese are large geese. The two sexes look alike.
There are two morphologies, white and blue.
White morphology
Snow Geese are all-white, except for the
tips of their primaries, which are black.
Blue morphology
Snow Geese have a white head, upper neck,
vent and rump. The lower neck, mantle and wing coverts are
bluish-grey. The chest and flanks are pink- to violet-grey
turning pale violet-grey on the belly. The flight feathers
are dark-grey to black, with lighter grey outer margins.
Both morphologies have dark irises and an orange bill with a
yellow tip and darker sides. The legs and feet are pink.
First-winter Snow Geese are light-grey all over the front,
while the upperparts are brownish-grey with barring from
the mantle downwards. Their bill is dark-grey; the legs
and feet are greyish-pink.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Snow
Goose at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Snow Goose is available
HERE
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Snow Geese are a strongly migratory species of North America.
They breed in Arctic tundra, beyond the treeline, in Greenland,
northern Canada, Alaska and far-eastern Siberia.
Their winter grounds extend from southern Canada, through
most of the US, into northern Mexico.
During their migration some individuals cross the northern
Atlantic via Iceland to western Europe.
In Europe Snow Geese occur naturally as regular vagrants.
They reach primarily the European North Sea coastline,
including parts of Britain, the Atlantic coastline down
western France and occasionally into near-coastal Iberia.
There are also some reports of birds around the Baltic Sea.
Most Snow Geese found in urban environments will probably
be escapes.
Snow Geese breed in Arctic tundra. When not breeding, they
are found in aquatic habitats in both (near-)coastal and
inland regions, where they can often be seen feeding in
marshes or grassland near water.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Pires reports spotting a Snow Goose
in the Tejo estuary, Porgual, in November 2019.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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White morphology
Lateral view of a white morphology Snow Goose together with
Greylag Geese;
note the black tips of the primaries
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2019]
Lateral view of a white morphology Snow Goose resting with
Greylag Geese
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[St. James's Park, London, England, September 2019]
Dorsal view of a white morphology Snow Goose; on the right a
Greylag Goose
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2019]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
