Canada goose

Branta canadensis

Group: Waterfowl
Size class: Small (under 10 kg)
Family: Anatidae

Range

North America
Europe

Habitat

Farmland
Wetland

Range

Countries it is found in

38 countries

Austria
Bahamas
Belgium
Bermuda
Bulgaria
Canada
Cuba
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
Germany
Greenland
Honduras
Hungary
Ireland
Isle of Man
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Mexico

Range from:Wikipedia country bird lists — read 2026-08-05

Chapter 01

Overview

The Canada goose (Branta canadensis) is a large goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under the chin and a brown body. It is native to Arctic and temperate North America, turns up on migration across the Atlantic in northern Europe, and has been introduced to France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Japan and Chile. Branta is a Latinised form of Old Norse Brandgás, 'burnt (black) goose'; canadensis is Neo-Latin for 'from Canada'. The first citation of 'Canada goose' in the Oxford English Dictionary dates to 1772.

Chapter 02

Identification

The black head and neck with a white chinstrap separate the Canada goose from every other goose except the cackling goose and the barnacle goose — and the barnacle has a black breast and grey rather than brownish body plumage. Some birds show a pepper-spotted or brown neck with brown plumage, assumed to be a leucistic variety. Several subspecies have been listed, from the Atlantic race through the interior, giant, Moffitt's, Vancouver and dusky forms.

Chapter 03

Behaviour

Like most geese the Canada goose is naturally migratory, wintering across most of the United States, and the calls from large V-formations overhead are what mark the turn of spring and autumn. Migration routes have shifted in some areas as habitat and food sources changed. It is primarily herbivorous, though it sometimes takes small insects and fish. On land it feeds on a variety of grasses, grasping a blade with the bill and tearing it with a jerk of the head, and takes beans and grains such as wheat, rice and corn where they are available.

Chapter 04

Hunting

Non-migratory Canada goose populations have been rising in North America. The bird is now frequently found on golf courses and in urban parks that would previously have held migratory geese only rarely, and its adaptability to human-altered ground has made it one of the commonest waterfowl species on the continent.

Field data

Tracks

A photograph of real sign left by Canada goose. Prints vary with gait, ground and how long they have been there — treat this as one example, not a template.

Track photo:r171 CC BY

On the table

Meat & cooking

Table grade 5 of 55/5

Sold as meat in a legal market
Has a named traditional dish
Published way to handle and cook it
Eaten in more than one country
No known health advisory

Traditional preparations

Roast goose: Wild goose is roasted whole or the breast taken off and cooked rare; the bird is far leaner than a farmed goose and dries out quickly. Roast goose — Wikipedia
Confit and rillettes: Legs and tougher cuts are traditionally preserved in fat, which suits a bird that has flown a long way. Confit — Wikipedia

Sources

Sources: Canada goose — Wikipedia — read 2026-08-05

Cross-reference