Species: Anser albifrons

Greater White-fronted Goose

Species

Birds

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Salish Sea-reliant birds

Terrestrial vertebrates: birds

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Anseriformes

Family

Anatidae

Genus

Anser

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104263

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

Weight

2587

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-20

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-20

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

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

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104263