Beak of the Week – Snow Goose

The Snow Goose is a species of waterfowl that overwinters here in abundance on the upper Texas coast and surrounding areas. They arrive in huge flocks of hundreds to thousands of birds, surrounding the sky in a cacophony of honks. In large numbers, it almost feels like falling snow around you as they land.

There are two subspecies of Snow Goose: The Lesser Snow Goose and the Greater Snow Goose. The Greater Snow Goose is slightly larger, nests further northeast than the lesser, and has no color phases. Lesser Snow Geese, however, have two distinct morphs, white and blue. White morph Snow Geese are all white with black primary feathers, pink feet, and a pink bill with a black grin patch. Blue morph Snow Geese have a variably dark body, white armpits visible in flight, and a white head. They also have the same pink feet and bill with a grin patch like the white morphs.

The Snow Goose can be confused with the Ross’s Goose as they are similar in color and have two morphs. Ross’s Geese are smaller than Snow Geese and have smaller bills. One of the main differences if you can see them close enough is that the Ross’s Goose lacks the black grin patch that Snow Geese have. The call of the Snow Goose is a one-syllable honk. Calls are given at any hour of day or night, any time of the year, in the air or on the ground. However, birds that are less than a year old have a clearer and high-pitched whistle.

Snow Geese breed in colonies on the Canadian and Northern Alaska tundra, close to the coast, from the high arctic to the subarctic. They preferably choose areas near shallow lakes, ponds, salt marshes, or streams. After chicks hatch, families move to brood-rearing territories with an abundance of grasses and bryophytes. During spring and fall migration, Snow Geese travel thousands of miles and frequently stop in open areas like farm fields and lakes. They winter in areas on American coasts and some inland areas, preferring open habitats such as agricultural fields, wetlands, and grasslands.

Snow Geese only eat plant material, including grasses, sedges, rushes, forbs, horsetails, willows, and shrubs. They will consume nearly any part of the plant including seeds and roots. They will also eat grains and berries during the winter. Snow Geese stay with the same mate for life, choosing a mate of the same color morph as the family they grew up with. The female chooses the nest site and builds the nest on her own on dry ground if possible. The female often plucks her own down feathers and adds them to the nest as she lays more eggs. She may also add plant material to add more structure to the nest. The average Snow Goose nest can range from three to six and a half feet across. The average clutch size of a Snow Goose is anywhere from two to six eggs.

Snow Geese are a spectacular winter migrant to observe here on the upper Texas coast. Greater Snow Geese migrate to the mid-Atlantic coast to winter, where Lesser Snow Geese winter in the Gulf Coast of Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico. So, if you see a Snow Goose in the area, it is more than likely a Lesser Snow Goose. A great place to observe them is Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge where they can be seen by the hundreds to thousands in the areas surrounding Shoveler Pond along with many other species of waterfowl. Don’t forget to listen for honks and look above you as Snow Geese will often fly over in large flocks in the area!