Snow Goose
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225615505
2008-07-14T15:53:31Z
Jumbuck
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robot Modifying: [[es:Anser caerulescens]]
{{Taxobox
| name = Snow Goose
| image = Chen_caerulescens_32398.JPG
| image_caption = ''C. c. caerulescens'' white morph
| image_width = 250px
| status = LC
| status_system = iucn3.1
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| classis = [[Aves]]
| ordo = [[Anseriformes]]
| familia = [[Anatidae]]
| genus = ''[[Chen (genus)|Chen]]'' <small>(disputed)</small>
| species = '''''C. caerulescens'''''
| binomial = ''Chen caerulescens''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)
| subdivision_ranks = [[Subspecies]]
| subdivision =
* ''C. c. caerulescens'' <small>([[Lesser Snow Goose]])</small>
* ''C. c. atlanticus'' <small>([[Greater Snow Goose]])</small>
| synonyms =
''Anser caerulescens'' <small>(but see text)</small>
}}
The '''Snow Goose''' ('''''Chen caerulescens''''') is a [[North America]]n [[species]] of [[goose]]. Its name derives from the typically white [[plumage]]. The [[genus]] of this bird is disputed. The [[American Ornithologists' Union]] and [[BirdLife International]] for example place this species and the other two "white" geese in the ''[[Chen (genus)|Chen]]'' genus, while some other authorities place it in the more traditional "grey" goose genus ''[[Anser (genus)|Anser]]''.
This [[goose]] breeds in northern [[Canada]] and the northeastern tip of [[Siberia]], and winters much further south in the continent in the southern [[United States|USA]] and beyond.
This species is a rare vagrant to [[Europe]], but a frequent escape from collections and an occasional feral breeder. For example, Snow Geese are rare visitors to the [[British Isles]] where they are seen regularly among flocks of [[Barnacle Goose|Barnacle]], [[Brent Goose|Brent]] and [[White-fronted Goose|Greenland White-fronted]] geese. There is also a [[feral]] population in [[Scotland]] from which many vagrant birds in Britain seem to derive. In [[Central America]], vagrants are not infrequently encountered during the winter months<ref >Herrera ''et al.'' (2006)</ref><!-- only sources last sentence -->.
==Description==
[[Image:lesser.snow.goose.blue.arp.600pix.jpg|thumb|left|''C. c. caerulescens'' blue morph]]
The smaller of the two [[subspecies]], the Lesser Snow Goose (''C. c. caerulescens''), lives from central northern Canada to the [[Bering Straits]] area. It commonly occurs in two [[polymorphism (biology)|plumage morphs]]. White-morph birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-morph geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing most of the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. White- and blue-morph birds do interbreed and the offspring may be of either morph. The larger subspecies, the Greater Snow Goose (''C. c. atlanticus''), nests to the north of eastern Canada. Blue-morph birds are rare among the Greater Snow Geese.
==Ecology==
[[Image:Chen caerulescens 32880.JPG|thumb|left|Snow Geese wintering on the [[Skagit River]] delta]]
Snow geese mainly eat plant material found in shallow water or on land. Outside of the nesting season, they usually feed in flocks. In winter, snow geese feed on left-over grain in fields. They migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers.
Their nests are usually located in a slightly elevated location on the ground, built with plant material and lined with down. They [[Monogamy|mate for life]].
The population of Greater Snow Geese was in decline at the beginning of the 20th century, but has now recovered to sustainable levels. Snow Geese in North America have increased to the point where the [[tundra]] breeding areas in the Arctic and the saltmarsh wintering grounds are both becoming severely degraded, and this affects other species using the same habitat.
==Habitat==
The Lesser Snow Goose breeds primarily on Wrangle Island, near the gulf of alaska , and the north and west side of Hudson Bay.
The Greater Snow Goose breeds on the coast of Baffin Island, and Greenland.
During the winter both of the species of Snow Goose spend their time in the southern part of the United States and the north part of Mexico
==Footnotes==
<references/>
==References==
* {{IUCN2006|assessors={{aut|BirdLife International}}|year=2004|id=47147|title=Chen caerulescens|downloaded=11 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
* {{aut|Herrera, Néstor; Rivera, Roberto; Ibarra Portillo, Ricardo & Rodríguez, Wilfredo}} (2006): Nuevos registros para la avifauna de El Salvador. ["New records for the avifauna of El Salvador"]. ''Boletín de la Sociedad Antioqueña de Ornitología'' '''16'''(2): 1-19. [Spanish with English abstract] [http://www.sao.org.co/publicaciones/boletinsao/01-Herrera.etal.RecordsSalvador.pdf PDF fulltext]
==External links==
{{commons|Anser caerulescens|Snow Goose}}
* [http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/issues/snowgse/tblcont.html US Fish & Wildlife Service]
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Snow_Goose.html Snow Goose Species Account] - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
*[http://www.nature.org/animals/birds/animals/snowgeese.html The Nature Conservancy's Species profile: Snow Goose] Learn more about the conservation of these geese
* [http://juliesmagiclightshow.com/index.php?pic=1096 Picture Link: Snow Geese taking flight in Addison, VT]
* [http://www.sdakotabirds.com/species/snow_goose_info.htm Snow Goose Information and Photos] - South Dakota Birds and Birding
* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i1690id.html Snow Goose <i>Chen caerulescens</i>] - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
{{North American Game}}
[[Category:Chen]]
[[Category:Geese]]
[[Category:Migratory birds (Western hemisphere)]]
[[Category:Arctic birds]]
[[Category:Arctic land animals|Goose]]
[[Category:Birds of Europe]]
[[bg:Снежна гъска]]
[[de:Schneegans]]
[[es:Anser caerulescens]]
[[eo:Neĝansero]]
[[fr:Oie des neiges]]
[[ik:Kafuq]]
[[is:Snjógæs]]
[[it:Chen caerulescens]]
[[lt:Snieginė žąsis]]
[[hu:Sarki lúd]]
[[nl:Sneeuwgans]]
[[ja:ハクガン]]
[[no:Snøgås]]
[[se:Muohtačuonjá]]
[[sl:Snežna gos]]
[[fi:Lumihanhi]]
[[sv:Snögås]]
[[tr:Kar kazı]]
[[zea:Snieuwhanze]]