Anser albifrons

More info for the term: taiga

Three subspecies of greater white-fronted geese occur in North America.
The Pacific white-fronted goose breeds in eastern Siberia, in arctic
Alaska from the Bering Sea Coast east to the Mackenzie River, and on
Saint Lawrence Island. It winters in the western United States, east to
Louisiana, in western and central Mexico, and in China and Japan [9,24].

The breeding grounds of the tule white-fronted goose are uncertain;
however, it probably breeds in the Mackenzie Basin region of Canada. The
tule white-fronted goose winters in California (the Great Central
Valley), Texas, and Louisiana [9,24].

The Greenland white-fronted goose breeds on the west coast of Greenland
and in the taiga of the Mackenzie Basin region of Canada; it winters
mainly in Ireland but occasionally winters in eastern Canada and the
eastern United States along the Atlantic Coast [9,18,24].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, North West Atlantic, Polish Exclusive Economic Zone, Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone

AK AR CA CO CT DE GA ID KS KY LA ME MD MA MS MT NE NJ NC OH OK OR SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WY

AB NT ON PQ SK YT

MEXICO

North America; Oceania; rare visitor along the east coast

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Breeding

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) 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.

Length: 71 cm

Weight: 2587 grams

More info for the term: cover

The greater white-fronted goose uses marshlands mainly for resting and
roosting between field-feeding, and as escape cover. Tall emergent
vegetation provides shelter and cover in addition to providing food.
The agricultural habitats used by the greater white-fronted goose during
winter and migration provide good visibility [14]. On breeding areas
the ground cover is typically low-scrub willows and/or birches,
heathers, sedges, and grasses [20].

More info for the terms: density, tundra

Breeding habitat - During the breeding season the greater white-fronted
goose primarily inhabits the borders of shallow marshes and lakes,
riverbanks and islands, deltas, dry knolls, and hills near rivers and
ponds in Arctic tundra. The tule white-fronted goose may be more
dependent on heavy brush or woody vegetation for nesting than are the
other subspecies [2,4,24].

Nesting habitat - The greater white-fronted goose typically nests in
depressions on the ground in tall grass bordering tidal sloughs or in
sedge marshes, usually within 300 feet (91 m) of water, or on hummocks
along rivers, streams, and lakes [8,20].

Winter habitat - In winter, the greater white-fronted goose uses areas
of extensive shallow water, croplands, pastures, open terrain with
numerous ponds, and inland and coastal marshes. Cropland and
pastureland are primary winter habitat, while freshwater marshes are
secondary habitat [14,20]. On its winter grounds the greater
white-fronted goose forages more efficently in areas where the
vegetation is relatively short; however, it does forage within natural
wetlands containing vegetation of various species composition, height,
and density [14]. Areas used during migration are much the same as the
winter habitat [20]. The greater white-fronted goose is also often
found in flooded fields during migration [2].

More info for the term: lichens

The greater white-fronted goose is generally found in areas
characterized by dwarf arctic birch (Betula nana), willows (Salix spp.),
bilberries, crowberries (Empetrum nigrum), Labrador tea (Ledum
glandulosum), cassiope (Cassiope spp.), raspberries (Rubus spp.),
cattails (Typhus spp.), sedges (Carex spp.), bulrushes (Scirpus spp.),
horsetails (Equisetem spp.), cottongrass (Cottea pappophoroides),
bluegrass ((Poa spp.), fescue (Festuca spp.), sphagnum moss in
depressions, and reindeer lichens (Cladonia spp.) and cetaria on drier
sites [4,8,11,14]. The rice-prairie region of southeast Texas provides
important wintering habitat for some greater white-fronted geese. One
study in southeastern Texas showed that harvested rice fields and
soybean fields were preferred habitat of the greater white-fronted goose
[14].

REFERENCES :
NO-ENTRY

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

K048 California steppe
K049 Tule marshes
K050 Fescue - wheatgrass
K051 Wheatgrass - bluegrass
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K069 Bluestem - grama prairie
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass - grama - buffalograss
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K072 Sea oats prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K075 Nebraska Sandhills prairie
K077 Bluestem - sacahuista prairie
K078 Southern cordgrass prairie
K079 Palmetto prairie
K102 Beech - maple forest
K106 Northern hardwoods
K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest
K108 Northern hardwoods - spruce forest

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES18 Maple-beech-birch
FRES19 Aspen-birch
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES41 Wet grasslands
FRES42 Annual grasslands
FRES44 Alpine

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

16 Aspen
18 Paper birch
24 Hemlock - yellow birch
25 Sugar maple - beech - yellow birch
60 Beech - sugar maple

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater
• Marine

Depth range based on 2 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 2 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 0
  Temperature range (°C): 1.712 - 10.575
  Nitrate (umol/L): 2.119 - 6.884
  Salinity (PPS): 33.673 - 35.215
  Oxygen (ml/l): 6.213 - 8.125
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.357 - 0.507
  Silicate (umol/l): 2.402 - 2.737

Graphical representation

Temperature range (°C): 1.712 - 10.575

Nitrate (umol/L): 2.119 - 6.884

Salinity (PPS): 33.673 - 35.215

Oxygen (ml/l): 6.213 - 8.125

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.357 - 0.507

Silicate (umol/l): 2.402 - 2.737
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: In migration and winter, inhabits wetlands, grainfields, grassy fields, marshes, lakes and ponds. Breeds on arctic tundra on edge of marshes, lakes, sloughs, rivers. May nest on islands, on hillsides near open water, or on hummocks in bogs. Female scrapes out depression and lines it with grasses and down.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Gathers in large flocks and migrates southward in fall, northward in spring. Nesters from Redoubt Bay in upper Cook Inlet, Alaska, winter primarily in the Sacramento Valley, California (Johnson and Herter 1989). Central Flyway migrants winter in Texas, Louisiana, and eastern Mexico, use grain fields in southern parts of Canadian Prairie Provinces as staging areas for several weeks before continuing to northern nesting areas. Arrives in western Alaska nesting areas late April-early May, in northern Alaska beginning mid-May through June. Departs from Alaska by the end of September, arrives in central California by November. In northern Canada, major staging areas are in the Mackenzie Delta, Blow River delta, Babbage River delta, and on the coastal plain along the Blow and Walking rivers (Johnson and Herter 1989). See Johnson and Herter (1989) for further details on migration.

Subspecies FLAVIROSTRIS breeds in west Greenland, winters in Britain and Ireland.

More info for the terms: forbs, marsh

The greater white-fronted goose feeds mostly on vegetable matter such as
grasses, sedges, aquatic plants, berries, and grains [14,20]. It
occasionally eats insects and mollusks [20]. Palmer [20] reported that
in Alaska the greater white-fronted goose feeds primarily on berries of
Ericaceae spp. during the spring and fall and on young grass shoots,
aquatic insects, and larvae during the summer.

The greater white-fronted goose feeds on the leaves, stems, seeds, or
rhizomes of cattail, spike rush, cordgrass, horsetail, forbs and grasses
including white clover (Trifolium repens), creeping buttercup
(Ranunculus repens), common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale),
barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crusgalli), barley (Hordeum secalunum),
perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), bulbous foxtail (Alopecurus
bulbosus), carpetbent grass (Agrostis stolonifera), panic grass (Panicum
spp.), and Paspalum spp. [14]. During the prenesting season on the
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska, the greater white-fronted goose often
feeds on pendent grass (Arctophila fulva) shoots, arrowgrass (Triglochin
palustris) bulbs, and crowberry [7].

Cereal grains, grasses, and marsh plants are primary foods of the
greater white-fronted goose during winter, while seeds, roots, and
tubers are secondary foods [14]. Rice and soybeans are among the waste
grains consumed during the winter. During late winter, newly sprouted
grasses and forbs on cultivated fields also provide food for the greater
white-fronted goose [14]. Kortright [15] found that in Kentucky the
greater white-fronted goose feeds on beechnuts and acorns along margins
of ponds. In the fields of Kentucky this goose eats seeds of corn and
grass blades [15]. In California, the greater white-fronted goose feeds
extensively on the seeds of rice and barley [5].

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).

The following predators commonly destroy nests of the greater
white-fronted goose: foxes (Alopex lagopus and Vulpes vulpes), jaegers
(Stercorarius parasiticus and S. longicaudus), and glaucous gulls (Larus
hyperboreus) [10,11]. Information on predators of adult greater
white-fronted goose is lacking in the literature.

100,000 to >1,000,000 individuals

Comments: Mid-continent autumn population about 773,000 in 1996 (Nieman and Smith 1996). Pacific flyway population about 295,000 in 1993 (Alaska Dept. Fish and Game 1994). Subspecies FLAVIROSTRIS of Greenland: total population estimated at 26,700 as of late 1989 (Condor 94:791-793).

More info for the terms: cover, marsh

Fire can improve the habitat of the greater white-fronted goose. It
often removes excessive accumulations of fast-growing hydrophytes,
permitting better waterfowl access and growth of more desirable foods
for the greater white-fronted goose [22]. Wet cover fires of coastal
marshes (marsh fires where water levels are at or above the root
horizons) 2 to 3 weeks before the greater white-fronted goose arrives
remove most vegetation and make access to roots and tubers easier [25].

Fire can have a negative impact on habitat of the greater white-fronted
goose. If a fire occurs before nesting starts, the nesting cover may be
destroyed [25]. Large-scale autumn burning may have a detrimental
effect upon marshes by reducing the retention of drifting snow, which
adds heavily to spring run-off. The ability of marsh vegetation to
catch and hold snow is vital to marsh survival [23].

More info for the term: formation

Pair formation - Occurs in the fall through spring. The majority are
paired during their second winter. Pair bonds are lifelong and
monogamous [20,24].

Age at sexual maturity - The greater white-fronted goose becomes
sexually mature at 3 years of age [5].

Nesting - Greater white-fronted geese initiate nesting in late May or
early June [5].

Clutch size and incubation - Clutch sizes range from four to seven eggs
[5,20,24]. Incubation lasts 26 to 28 days [20,24]. The goslings leave
the nest within 24 hours and are led to the nearest water [5].

Fledging and molting - Goslings fledge in about 45 days, during which
period the adults molt and are flightless. The adults are able to fly
about the same time as or shortly after the young have fledged, and
leave the breeding areas soon afterward [24]. Greater white-fronted
geese remain in families during the fall, winter, and spring, and into
the nesting season [5]. Yearlings remain with their parents even during
the nesting activities [5]. Breeders generally molt from July through
August. Nonbreeders molt early in June [20].

Life span - The maximum recorded longevity of the greater white-
fronted goose is 20.3 years [3].

Major causes of nest destruction in Alaska were flooding (28%) and predation (9%) (Ely and Raveling 1984).

Maximum longevity: 47 years (captivity) Observations: One female specimen in captivity reportedly lived and laid eggs until 46 or 47 years of age (http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/).

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).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 6 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

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Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 10
Specimens with Barcodes: 11
Species With Barcodes: 1

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Least Concern

Winter visitor.

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Global Short Term Trend: Increase of 10 to >25%

Comments: During the 1980s, the Eastern Midcontinent population was increasing, the Western Midcontinent population was stable, and the Pacific Flyway population was decreasing (USFWS 1988); most of the decline in the Pacific Flyway population has been in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta nesting population (Johnson and Herter 1989, which see for further information on status in the Beaufort Sea region). Pacific Flyway population declined from 400,000 to 100,000 birds during the 1970s but grew to over 295,000 by 1993 (Alaska Dept. Fish and Game 1994).

Global Long Term Trend: Unknown

Major Threats

More info for the term: marsh

Burning of sedge meadows and wet marshy areas provides excellent grazing
for geese. Fire can also be used to convert forested uplands adjacent
to aquatic habitats to grasses and sedges which would likely improve
this area for greater white-fronted goose nesting [22]. Removal of
dense vegetation and prevention of woody encroachment is vital to
prairie marsh maintenance [23]. According to Ward [23], spring burning
in marshlands is primarily done to remove vegetation and create more
nesting edge. Summer fires are used to create more permanent changes in
the plant community.

Precribed burning during the nesting season should be avoided. Land
managers who burn during the nesting season should consider partial
burns. Partial burns will probably have less impact on total vegetation
changes but should result in higher recruitment of waterfowl [26].

Native American hunters in the North sometimes used fire on shores.
This drove molting greater white-fronted geese onto land where they were
killed [15].

The greater white-fronted goose is an important game bird. The
population of this species has declined in recent years partially due to
heavy harvesting [11].

The greater white-fronted goose is sensitive to aircraft
disturbance. It is particularly alarmed by low-flying single
engine aircraft during molting [10].

Flooding can cause greater white-fronted goose nest failure. On the
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska in 1978, 13 of 25 greater white-fronted
goose nests flooded were destroyed, while only 3 out out of 19 nests
that had not been flooded were destroyed [11].

REFERENCES :
NO-ENTRY