For many Americans, the spectacle of thousands of Snow Geese rising into the sky of one accord is synonymous with the wild. The species is dimorphic, consisting of light-morph (white) and dark-morph (blue) Snow Geese. Until 1983, the two color morphs were considered separate species. Today, both species have been combined into one, and the Snow Goose is one of the most abundant geese in the world.

At various times of the year, the Snow Goose can be found in almost every state or province of North America. Breeding occurs in the Canadian arctic and subarctic from the lower Hudson Bay to the Elizabeth Islands. Migrating Snow Geese concentrate in large numbers at many sites along traditional flyways across the continent. Among other locations, wintering populations use the Mid-Atlantic coast, the Gulf Coast, and central and southern California.

 

A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.

In the early 1800s, the Snow Goose population declined due to hunting, but the Migratory Bird Act of 1916 helped reverse these losses. When the United States re-opened hunting of Snow Geese in 1975, Snow Goose populations appeared larger but stable. Various surveys, like the Christmas Bird Count, indicate 5 to 9% increases in many Snow Goose populations since the late 1980s.

 

 

Snow Goose populations have grown so significantly that wildlife professionals are concerned with the impact of the Snow Goose's burgeoning population on the sensitive Canadian tundra, where it breeds; breeding habitat degradation has been caused by the birds' own abundance. Breeding Snow Geese have altered arctic and sub-arctic tundra landscapes by overgrazing plants like Hoppner's sedge, water sedge, and creeping alkali grass. On Cape Churchill, Manitoba, other birds including Stilt Sandpipers, Hudsonian Godwits, and Lapland Longspurs have declined due to loss of nesting cover, foraging habitat, and food supply. Snow Geese have adapted to changing conditions by taking greater advantage of agricultural fields in winter and shifting breeding sites to avoid degraded habitat.

 

Look for Snow Geese by joining local bird walks. Enjoy the spectacle of thousands of Snow Geese at special stopover spots in the fall, like Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area, outside Addison, Vermont. For more information, visit the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

 

Visit one of the many festivals honoring the Snow Goose, like the Port Susan Snow Goose & Birding FestivalStanwood, Washington, or the High Plains Snow Goose FestivalLamar, Colorado. in in

 

For more actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.

Learn about federal and state management plans for controlling Snow Goose populations and preserving its breeding habitat at the Division of Migratory Bird Management's "Bird Issues" website.

 

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.