Species: Chen canagica
Emperor Goose
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae
Genus
Chen
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Oie empereur
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Waterfowl
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Anseriformes - Anatidae - Chen - (Livezey 1986).
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
A large waterfowl.
Migration
false - false - true - Emperor geese may form large flocks during migration.
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Diet includes eelgrass, marine algae, grasses, and sedges; berries when available; animal food includes mollusks and crustaceans. Foraging occurs on beaches, mud flats, in marshes, and tundra. In fall on the Alaska Peninsula, geese foraged on intertidal invertebrates in blue mussel beds or on beach pea or seabeach sandwort in vegetated habitats, the latter when mussel beds were unavailable due to tidal inundation; sometimes they foraged on clams in mud/sand habitats (Schmutz 1994).
Reproduction Comments
Clutch size is 3-8 (usually 5-6) eggs, laid generally by the second week of June, as early as late May if weather mild; median date for nest initiation is late May-early June (Petersen 1992). Incubation, by female with male nearby, lasts 24-25 days. Young first fly in early August, remain with parents until following spring. Severe weather and snow may delay nesting activity. Length of nesting season was 46-59 days over 3-year period in Alaska (Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977). Large proportion of adult females do not nest each year (Petersen 1992). Nesting is dispersed or semicolonial. In Alaska, nesting density in one study area varied from 18-27 per sq km over 2 years; highests density was 59 nests per sq, km in lowland pingo tundra (Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977).
Ecology Comments
Emperor geese may form large flocks during molt (Soothill and Whitehead 1978).<br><br>Goslings are subject to predation by glaucous gulls until families amalgamate and increased numbers provide greater safety (Soothill and Whitehead 1978, Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977). Human harvest near villages is a locally significant mortality factor; predation and adverse weather are important mortality factors in fall staging and wintering areas (Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977). Annual survival rate of adult females varied from 44 to 69% over four years (Condor 94:398-406).
Length
66
Weight
2750
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G3G4
Global Status Last Reviewed
2008-12-30
Global Status Last Changed
2000-06-01
Other Status
NT - Near threatened
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?US.AK=S3&US.WA=__" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
F - 20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles) - F - More than 90 percent total breeding population is concentrated In the eastern Bering Sea region along the coast of western Alaska (Kuskokwim Bay to Kotzebue Sound), with additional nesting on St. Lawrence and Nunivak islands, and small numbers in eastern Asia, principally in the Anaydr lowlands and southern Chukotka (Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977; E. Syroechkovskiy Jr., pers. comm.). In winter, most of the population is in the Aleutian Islands, but the range extends eastward along the southern side of the Alaskan Peninsula and to the Kodiak Island Archipelago, and small numbers winter in eastern Asia, primarily in the Commander Islands. The species winters irregularly southward along the North American Pacific coast to California and in eastern Asia to Kamchatka, casually in Hawaii. Geese breeding in Siberia evidently winter and migrate with Alaskan breeding birds (Schmutz and Kondratyev 1995). Most of the global population spends spring and fall staging periods on the Alaska Peninsula (Nelson Lagoon having the greatest number). Major staging areas include the northern sides of the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay, and shallow bays and lagoons near Cape Newenham and Kuskokwim Bay (AOU 1983, Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977).<br><br>Coded range extent refers to breeding range.
Global Range Code
F
Global Range Description
20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)