Snow Goose

The Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The American Ornithologists' Union places this species and the other two "white" geese in the genus Chen, while some other authorities place it in the more traditional "grey" goose genus Anser. The larger of the two subspecies, the Greater Snow Goose (C. c. atlanticus), nests to the north of eastern Canada. The smaller subspecies, the Lesser Snow Goose (C. c. caerulescens), commonly occurs in two plumage variants. White-phase birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-phase geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing most of the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. White- and blue-phase birds do interbreed and the young may be of either type. Blue-phase birds are rare among the Greater Snow Geese.

This goose breeds in northern Canada and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and winters much further south in the continent in the southern USA and beyond. This species is a rare vagrant to Europe, but a frequent escape from collections and an occasional feral breeder. Snow Geese are rare visitors to the British Isles, where they are seen regularly among flocks of Barnacle, Brent and Greenland White-fronted geese. There is also a feral population in Scotland.

Snow geese migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers. Their nests are usually located in a slightly elevated location on the ground, built with plant material and lined with down. They mate for life.

The population of Greater Snow Geese was in decline at the beginning of the 20th century, but has now recovered to sustainable levels. Snow Geese in North America have increased to the point where the tundra breeding areas in the Arctic and the saltmarsh wintering grounds are both becoming severely degraded, and this affects other species using the same habitat.