Species: Anser albifrons
Greater White-fronted Goose
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae
Genus
Anser
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Ganso Careto-Mayor - oie rieuse
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Waterfowl
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Anseriformes - Anatidae - Anser - (AOU 1998).
Ecology and Life History
Migration
false - false - true - Subspecies FLAVIROSTRIS breeds in west Greenland, winters in Britain and Ireland.
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Primarily a grazer; feeds on marsh grasses, grain crops, tundra plants, aquatic plants, and fresh plant growth in fields. Also eats berries, aquatic insects and their larvae (Terres 1980). On the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, primary prenesting foods were pendent grass (ARCTOPHILA) shoots and arrowgrass (TRIGLOCHIN) bulbs; crowberries also were consumed; these foods contributed significantly to nutrient reserves necessary for reproduction (Budeau et al. 1991). In California in winter, fed primarily on cereal grains (Condor 94:857-870).
Reproduction Comments
In North America, nests are initiated from mid-May to early June. Female incubates an average of 4-6 eggs for an average of 26-28 days; male stands guard. Hatching usually occurs in late June or early July in the Beaufort Sea region. Nestlings are tended by both adults. Family groups stay in social contact on the wintering grounds for up to several years (Ely, 1993, Auk 110:425-435). In western Greenland, first breeds usually at 2-4 years (Condor 94:791-793). Does not replace destroyed clutch (if complete). Often nests in loose colonies (e.g., 15-20 pairs in area of 0.65 sq km or less). Maximum reported nest density in northern Alaska was about 1.6 nests per sq km (Johnson and Herter 1989).
Ecology Comments
Major causes of nest destruction in Alaska were flooding (28%) and predation (9%) (Ely and Raveling 1984).
Length
71
Weight
2587
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-20
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-20
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=__&CA.BC=__&CA.MB=__&CA.NT=S5&CA.NU=SNR&CA.ON=__&CA.QC=__&CA.SK=__&CA.YT=S4&US.AL=__&US.AK=S5&US.AZ=__&US.AR=__&US.CA=__&US.CO=__&US.GA=S3&US.ID=__&US.IL=__&US.IN=__&US.IA=__&US.KS=__&US.KY=__&US.LA=__&US.MD=__&US.MN=__&US.MS=__&US.MO=__&US.MT=__&US.NN=__&US.NE=__&US.NV=__&US.NJ=__&US.NM=__&US.NC=__&US.ND=__&US.OH=__&US.OK=__&US.OR=__&US.SC=__&US.SD=__&US.TN=__&US.TX=S5&US.UT=__&US.VA=__&US.WA=__&US.WV=__&US.WI=__&US.WY=__" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDS: Northern Holarctic, although absent from eastern Greenland, Spitsbergen, Iceland, northern Scandinavia, and area between northeastern sections of Mackenzie and Keewatin districts, Northwest Territories. WINTERS: south to France, northern Africa, Greece, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, Japan, southern Mexico, and U.S. Gulf Coast; casual in Hawaii. In the U.S., occurs in winter primarily in California (Klamath Basin, Sacramento Valley, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta) and coastal Texas (Root 1988, Condor 94:858). Subspecies ELGASI: breeds around Cook Inlet, Alaska; winters primarily in Sacramento Valley, California.
Global Range Code
H
Global Range Description
>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)