This guide will teach you what kinds of geese you may find in Colorado, as well as when and where you may find them, along with some interesting facts.
In Colorado, eight of the thirteen different goose species have been discovered.
A gaggle is a collection of geese. But have you heard of geese being referred to as shien, wedge, and plump?
In the United States, it is illegal to harm geese, their eggs, or their nests without permission from the government. They are protected under the migratory bird treaty. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
You should learn more about ducks in Colorado or swans in Colorado if you like seeing waterbirds in Colorado.
8 Types Of Geese In Colorado:
1. Canada Goose
In Colorado, Canada geese may be seen any time of year and are very prevalent. These are seen on 23% of bird watchers’ summer lists and 34% of their winter lists for the state, according to records.
The Canada Goose, often known as the Canadian goose, is a huge, long-necked goose with a black head and a distinctive white chin strap that easily distinguishes it.
The long, graceful neck and enormous size of Canada Geese set them apart from Cackling Geese, who look a lot like them. They have the same black head and white chin strap.
Their bellies are pale or tan, with a white rump. They have brown bodies. The bodies of the subspecies may be gray or brown in color. They have black legs and webbed feet.
- Branta canadensis
- Length: 25 – 45 in (64 – 114 cm)
- Weight: 230.09 oz (6521 g)
- Wingspan: 70 – 75 in (178 – 190 cm)
Canada Geese breed in Canada and go south for the winter, but those remaining in the northern US do not go south. They stay all year and do not travel. Western Europe is also home to these creatures.
Canada Geese may be found in almost any place. They are often seen near lakes and rivers, as well as in other areas with a lot of food. They also thrive in metropolitan environments such as city parks, reservoirs, golf courses, public parks, and beaches since they are also used to humans.
They’re becoming more common and are considered pests in several regions of the country.
When on land, Canada Geese prefer grasses, while on the water, they prefer small aquatic insects and fish. While on agricultural fields, they also consume wheat, rice, and corn. They’ve grown up eating from people and rummaging through trash bins.
Canada Geese nests are frequently found near water, in elevated areas. In a nest made of plant materials and down, the female lays up to nine eggs. The male stays nearby, protecting the eggs, while she incubates them for roughly a month.
Their parents bring them to a food source, where they learn to feed themselves, when they hatch. When parents feel danger or perceive a threat to their family, they are very territorial and violent.
Fun Fact: Adults lose their flying feathers during the breeding season since it coincides with their molting time. Just in time for them to fly with their young, they lose their feathers after twenty to forty days.
2. Cackling Goose
From November through April, Cackling Geese can be found in Colorado, and they make up 13% of winter checklists. However, they may be found in the state at any time of year.
Cackling Geese look a lot like Canada Geese and are indigenous to North America. They were classified as a separate species in 2004 after being formerly classified as part of the Canada Goose family.
The head and neck of Cackling Geese are black, and the “chinstrap” patch is white. Their bills are triangular, small, and black. They range in color from light brown to tannish, with white streaking across their bodies.
Cackling Geese, on the other hand, have stubbier bills, steeper foreheads, and shorter necks than Canada Geese.
The black heads and necks of all four subspecies, including the white chinstrap, are distinctive, but they vary in size and color.
- Branta hutchinsii
- Length: 22 – 30 in (56 – 76 cm)
- Weight: 105.9 oz (3001 g)
- Wingspan: 43 – 47 in (109 – 119 cm)
Cackling Geese migrate to the United States for the winter and breed in Canada and Alaska.
Cackling Geese may be seen in wetlands and meadows all year. During the winter, they often join flocks and mingle with other geese in lakes, marshes, and fields, but during the summer, they prefer tundra.
Cackling Geese graze on grasses and eat berries in open areas as they forage. In agricultural fields, they will also consume wheat, barley, beans, rice, and corn crops. They consume freshwater plants in the water.
Cackling Goose nests may be found individually or in groups. They’re usually found near the water, in a shallow depression but on an elevated plane. Females make the nests out of plant materials and down. She will typically lay eight eggs in this nest, which she will sit on for around a month.
Fun Fact: Cackling Geese are readily distinguished from Canada Geese by their unique “cackling” voice or high-pitched cry.
3. Snow Goose
From November through March, Snow Geese may be seen in Colorado, although they may stay here throughout the year. On winter checklists, they appear in 2% of the time.
Except for its black wingtips, pink bill with a black grin patch, and pink legs and feet, this goose is appropriately named because it is totally white.
The Blue Goose, a distinct variation with a white head and dark blue-gray body, is also available. Due to their feeding, both variants of the Snow Geese may have a “stained” head on occasion.
Both types have a similar sex phenotype, although they may vary in size. Males are generally larger than females.
Dusky gray-brown coloring characterizes juvenile white morphs, while dark gray characterizes adult blue morphs. They, on the other hand, still have the characteristic pink beak and black grin patch.
- Anser caerulescens
- Length: 25 – 31 in (64 – 79 cm)
- Weight: 81.13 oz (2299 g)
- Wingspan: 54.3 in (138 cm)
Snow Geese spend the winter in the United States, with a majority of their offspring in Canada.
In freshwater marshes and agricultural grain fields, you can find Snow Geese and Blue Geese together. They prefer salt marshes and coastal coves in the winter, but will still visit plowed fields or wetlands.
Herbivores and voracious eaters, snow geese are. Water-logged soil or shallow water is commonly used as food. Plant vegetation, such as grasses, sedges, willows, rushes, and horsetails are among the foods they prefer. They’ll also eat roots-ripened seeds, grains, and vegetation.
On tundra, Snow Goose nests are typically found in large colonies. Because females return to the place where they hatched to breed, the female creates a nest, which is usually a shallow depression on the ground.
She lines the nest with grasses and down once she has placed the first three to five eggs. Goslings emerge after twenty-four days of incubation, and they are capable of surviving on their own.
Fun Fact: When Snow Geese mate for life, they pick the same color morph as themselves.
4. Greater White-fronted Goose
During the winter of Colorado, from November to March, Greater White-fronted Geese are most frequently seen, accounting for 1% of all checklists. However, they do come here every now and again throughout the year.
In Europe and North America, the Greater White-fronted Goose is referred to as Greater Whitefront.
Greater White-fronted Geese are both large geese, and both sexes appear similar.
They are frequently mistaken for the Graylag Goose due to their barred feathers, which are mostly gray all-over. The white front, or the white feathers that surround the base of its orange beak, distinguishes them from other birds. The underbelly of their bodies is also covered in black flecks.
- Anser albifrons
- Length: 26 – 34 in (66 -86 cm)
- Weight: 126.98 oz (3599 g)
- Wingspan: 53 – 60 in (135 – 152 cm)
Greater White-fronted Geese breed in Canada and winter in the United States and Mexico, with a preference for breeding in Canada. They can, however, be found across Europe and east Asia.
Greater White-fronted Geese spend the winter along the West Coast of the United States, The Gulf Coast, and Mexico, where they breed in the west of northern Canada.
During the breeding season, you may see Greater White-fronted Geese in marshy tundra, wetland, river, and pond habitats. They prefer to live in agricultural land, marshes, bays, and lakes throughout the winter.
Both land and water are used by Greater White-fronted Geese. They feed on agricultural fields’ crops, including seeds and grains. Grasses and berries are also eaten by them. They feed on aquatic insects and mollusks while near water.
Greater White-fronted Goose nests are normally discovered in tundra shallow depressions. They generally contain three to six eggs and are covered in grass and down. For two to three weeks, the female incubates them.
Fun Fact: Greater White-fronted Geese have strong family connections over time. Young animals remain with their parents until the following breeding season, when they migrate together, even with their offspring.
5. Ross’s Goose
From October to May, the Geese of Ross spend the winter in Colorado, accounting for 1% of all checklists.
Snow Geese, who they often accompany, are similar to Ross’ Geese. Except for their short, gray-based red-orange beaks, pink-red legs and feet, and black wingtips, they are totally white throughout. Female is somewhat smaller than both sexes.
Ross’ Goose has a dark phase variation, but it’s extremely uncommon. It has a white skull, a brownish beak with a crimson patch, black gray neck bands, lower bands, and back.
- Anser rossii
- Length: 21 – 26 in (53 – 66 cm)
- Weight: 59.2 oz (1678 g)
- Wingspan: 47 – 54 in (119 – 137 cm)
The Geese breed of Ross are found in northern Canada throughout the winter and then in the United States.
During the winter, Ross’ Geese may be found in both salt and freshwater marshes. They will breed on the Arctic Tundra during the breeding season.
Ross’ geese feed on grass, sedges, and tiny grains they find in wetlands, meadows, and fields. They are grazers that feed on these items.
Ross’ Geese colonies may be found on lake islands and Arctic tundra, where their nests are situated. Females create nests lined with down out of grasses, moss, leaves, and twigs on the ground. Each breeding female incubates four to five eggs for three weeks.
Fun Fact: The tiniest geese in North America are Ross’ geese.
6. Brant
In Colorado, Brant Geese are a uncommon or accidental species, but they may be seen throughout the winter, from November to March. Denver and Pueblo are the most common places to see them.
A black head, neck, and chest, a white collar or marking on the throat, and a white rump distinguish the Brant Goose from other geese. Many sub-species exist, the majority of which have darker or lighter hues.
- Branta bernicla
- Length: 22 – 26 in (56 – 66 cm)
- Weight: 63.84 oz (1809 g)
- Wingspan: 43 – 48 in (109 – 122 cm)
Before heading to coastal regions of the United States and Mexico, Brant Geese breed in Canada and Alaska. In addition, they have a home in Europe.
During the breeding season, Brant Geese can be found across the tundra, marshlands, islands, and coastal areas. Salt marshes, lagoons, mudflats, and tidal estuaries are all home to them in the winter.
Both on land and in water, Brant geese feed mostly on plant material. They prefer eelgrass, but they’ll eat anything that’s available. Sedges, pondweed, and aquatic insects are among the foods they consume.
Brant Geese nests are often found on little islands in tundra lakes or on high ground. They’re downy shallow grass bowls.
The female lays seven eggs, which take three to four weeks to hatch. The parents bring the babies to the eating location once the eggs have hatched, so they can eat on their own.
Fun Fact: Brant Geese have been known to live up to 28 years.
7. Pink-footed Goose
In Colorado, pink-footed geese are an uncommon sight and have been declared an accidental species. From December through January, they were only observed in Weld, but the most recent sighting was in 2019.
The Pink-footed Goose, often known as the “pinkfoot,” has pink feet and legs, unlike its relatives the Taiga and Tundra Bean Geese. Although they may seem to be the same,
Brown heads, black bills with a pink band in the centre, blue-gray backs and wings, light-brown throats and breasts, white rumps and pink legs and feet.
Juveniles are dark brown with a more defined scaled pattern on their sides, flanks, and backs, but males and females seem similar.
- Anser brachyrhynchus
- Length: 26 in (66 cm)
- Weight: 97.6 0z (2766 g)
- Wingspan: 53 – 67 in (135 – 170 cm)
The eastern Canadian and northeastern American states are home to Pink-footed Geese throughout the winter. Nonetheless, Greenland and Europe are the most common habitats.
Throughout the summer, Pink-footed Geese eat a broad range of tundra plants on land and in water, while during the winter, they mainly eat grains, sugar beets, and potatoes from agricultural fields.
The female incubates three to five eggs for roughly four weeks before laying them. The juvenile goslings walk with their parents to the closest lake for food after the eggs have hatched.
Fun Fact: Pink-footed Geese, while they feed on the leaves and roots of sugar beets and potatoes after harvest, help farmers by devouring the leaves and roots of crops. Crop diseases are less able to spread due to this.
8. Barnacle Goose
In Colorado, Barnacle Geese are an accidental species. They were last spotted near Frederick Lake in 2019 and are very uncommon in the state.
Medium-sized yet delicate-looking geese, Barnacle Geese are a popular species. They have white faces with black bills, black heads, throats, and upper chests, and silver-gray bellies with black and white stripes on their wings and back.
V-shaped rumps and silver-gray linings are visible while in flight.
- Branta leucopsis
- Length: 23 – 28 in (58 – 71 cm)
- Weight: 62.4 oz (1768 g)
- Wingspan: 52 – 56 in (132 – 142 cm)
The North Atlantic is home to Barnacle Geese, who breed and spend the winter in this area, as well as eastern Canada and northeastern US states.
Salt marshes, grassy fields, pastureland, and agricultural fields are all good places to look for Barnacle Geese. They prefer to live on islets, islands, and near-shore cliff ledges during the breeding season.
Whether in tundra, near water, or in fields, Barnacle Geese mostly eat grass. When near water and crops and grains in fields, they also feed on aquatic vegetation and insects.
To defend the eggs from predators, Barnacle Goose nests are commonly constructed on cliff ledges. The nest is lined with soft down feathers and built by the female using mud and dead foliage.
The female incubates the eggs for twenty-five days after laying them. The young are escorted to marshes with plenty of vegetation after the eggs hatch, so they may feed themselves. After 45 days, they fledge.
Fun Fact: The fact that Barnacle Geese are said to have originated from Barnacles inspired their name.