Ross's Goose
Anser rossii
Cute miniature version of Snow Goose with smaller body, shorter neck, and stubbier bill. Pay special attention to the bill: short, with a straighter border where it meets the face, a much less obvious dark “grin patch,” and often bluish-gray color at the base. Also note clean white head; Snow Goose typically has yellowish staining on face. Hybrids with Snow Goose are rare but regular; some intermediates might be best left unidentified. Dark morph Ross’s is extremely rare. Typically found in flocks, but individuals may be found with other geese species. Frequently in large mixed flocks with Snow Geese. Occurs in fields, marshes, and lakes during migration and winter; breeds on Arctic tundra.
Identification
Ross's goose have a rounded head above a short neck. The bill is short and triangular, and has a bluish base with warty structures that increase in prominence with age. Adults are identified by all-white secondary feathers, while juveniles' will be dark centered. Females average 6% smaller than males. Legs will begin as olive gray on goslings and turn deep red as they mature.<p>There is no geographic variation or identified subspecies. Related species include other Anser geese, particularly the lesser snow goose, where the two mtDNA lineages imply frequent hybridization. Two hypotheses about the evolution of Ross's goose are that they arose from a population of snow geese that were isolated by glacial advance or in a refugium that remained ice free.<p>Measurements:[citation needed]
Taxonomy
Ross's geese, along with other "white geese" (i.e., snow goose, emperor goose) previously belonged to the genus Chen, however, recent genetic sequencing has concluded that this genus was polyphyletic with the Anser genus, where most taxonomists now place Ross's goose and its allies. <p>Members of the Chen genus were officially transferred to Anser in the International Ornithological Committee's World Bird List version 6.3 in 2016.
- Scientific name
- Anser rossii
- Authority
- Cassin, 1861
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Anser
Range and habitat
Landscape in the central Arctic is dominated by flat plains with some rock outcrops and drumlins, wet meadows, and marshy tundra. Vegetation includes patches of dwarf birch, willow, grasses, sedges, and low-growing vascular plants including crowberry, lapland rosebay, and lousewort. Large colonies of nesting birds can cause extensive damage to plants by overgrazing.
- Breeding range
- NA : n Canada
- Non-breeding range
- s, w USA and n Mexico
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Ross's geese form large nesting colonies on islands in shallow lakes and adjacent mainland, building nests on the ground made of twigs, leaves, grass, moss, and down. Females lay an average of 4 eggs per clutch and incubate the nest for 21–23 days.<p>A study of ground-based sampling along the McConnell River on the west coast of Hudson Bay reported a population of about 81,000 nesting Ross's geese.<p>These birds migrate from their Canadian nesting grounds by mid-October, probably in response to limited food before freezing temperatures set in, and begin their return in mid-April to May.<p>Like most geese, they are grazers that feed on grasses, sedges, and small grains. They often forage in large mixed flocks with snow geese.<p>
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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Actinodura cyanouroptera
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