This guide will assist you identify the sorts of geese seen in Montana, as well as provide photographs and comprehensive ID guides for when and where you are most likely to see them. It will also include some interesting facts.
Montana is home to seven of the thirteen species of geese native to North America. They’re frequently seen flying through the state, but all year can you see Canada Geese and Snow Geese. In addition, two of the species are vagrants.
A gaggle is a group of geese. Have you heard of geese being named shien, wedge, or a plump?
Or that their territorial demeanor and loud honking have been used for centuries to protect animals, people, and even countries!
In the United States, it is illegal to harm geese, their eggs, or their nests without permission from the government. USFWS (Fish and Wild Service)
7 Types Of Geese In Montana:
1. Canada Goose
Geese can be found in Montana all year, and they are especially common in the winter. Bird watchers for the state have reported them in up to 24% of their summer and winter checklists.
The Canada Goose, often known as the Canadian goose, is a huge, long-necked goose with a black head and a prominently visible white chin strap.
Canada Geese have the same black head and white chin strap as Cackling Geese, but their long, elegant neck and massive size distinguish them.
Brown bodies with a white rump and a tan or pale chest. The subspecies’ bodies might 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 are a breed that breeds in Canada and migrates for the winter to southern US states, but they stay in northern US states all year and do not migrate. Western Europe is also home to them.
Canada Geese can be found in almost every habitat. They often live near lakes and rivers, generally in areas with a lot of food and water. They also live comfortably in urban habitats such as city parks, reservoirs, golf courses, public parks, and beaches because they are used to humans.
They’ve grown in numbers in certain areas, and they’re now considered pests.
While on land, Canada Geese feed mostly grasses, while in the water, they feed mostly small aquatic insects and fish. While on agricultural fields, they also consume wheat, rice, and corn. They’re used to human food or rummaging through trash bins.
Canada Goose nests are often found near water, in an elevated position. In a nest made of plant materials and down, the female lays nine eggs. While the male stays nearby, protecting the eggs, she incubates them for approximately a month.
Their parents take them to a feeding location when they emerge, where they learn to feed themselves. When parents sense danger or threats to their family, they are very territorial and violent.
Fun Fact: Adults lose their flight feathers during the breeding season, as it corresponds to their molting season. Just in time for them to fly with their young, they only regain their feathers after twenty to forty days.
2. Snow Goose
Snow Geese are present in Montana all year, although their numbers peak from March to mid-May and October to December. In the spring, they appear in 7% of checklists, and in the autumn, they appear in 5%.
Except for its black wingtips, pink beak with a black grin patch, and pink legs and feet, the Snow Goose is appropriately named.
Surprisingly, the Blue Goose, which features a white head and a dark blue-gray body, is another variation. Because of their feeding habits, both types of Snow Geese may have a “stained” head on occasion.
Both forms have similar sexes, although they may be of different sizes. Males outnumber females in most cases.
Juvenile white morphs are dark gray, while juvenile blue morphs are dusky gray-brown. The familiar pink beak and black grin patch remain, however.
- 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 preference for Canada.
In freshwater marshes and agricultural grain fields, you may find both Snow Geese and Blue Geese. They dine on plowed maizefields and wetlands during the winter, but prefer salt marshes and coastal bays.
Snow geese are vegetarian herbivores who eat a lot. Water-logged soil or shallow water is frequently used to feed them. Any kind of plant vegetation, including grasses, sedges, willows, rushes, and horsetails, is devoured by them. Seeds, grains, and plants ripped up by their roots will also be consumed.
Snow geese are voracious eaters and herbivores. Water-logged soil or shallow water are common food sources. Grasses, sedges, willows, rushes, and horsetails are among the plants they like to eat. Seeds, grains, and plants ripped up by their roots will also be eaten by them.
She lines the nest with grasses and down once she has placed the first three to five eggs. The goslings take approximately twenty-four days to incubate, and they can feed themselves when they hatch.
Fun Fact: Snow Geese will mate for life and pick the same color morph as themselves while breeding.
3. Cackling Goose
From September to May, Cackling Geese are seen in Montana’s winter. These are seen in 1% of winter checklists.
Canada Geese are closely related to Cackling Geese, which are indigenous to North America. They were established as a full species in 2004, after being part of the Canada Goose family.
The neck and head of Cackling Geese are black, with a white chinstrap patch. Their bills are small, black, and triangular in appearance. They have white banding on the entire body and are light brown or tan.
Cackling Geese, on the other hand, have shorter necks and stubbier bills than Canada Geese.
The white chinstrap, like the other four subspecies, has black heads and necks that are distinctive to each subspecies.
- 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 after breeding in Canada and Alaska.
Cackling Geese may be seen year-round in wetlands and pastures. In the winter, they often join flocks and mingle with other geese in lakes, marshes, and fields. But in the summer, they prefer to stay on the tundra.
Throughout the year, Cackling Geese may be found in marshes and meadows. In winter, they prefer the tundra, but in the summer, they often join flocks and blend with other geese on lakes, marshes, and fields.
Cackling Geese nests may be located individually or in groups. They’re normally found near the water, in a shallow depression, but on higher ground. The nests are built by the females, who utilize plant materials. She will lay up to eight eggs and keep them warm for approximately a month in the nest.
Fun Fact: Cackling Geese are distinguished from Canada Geese by their “cackling” or high-pitched voice.
4. Ross’s Goose
In Montana, Ross’ Geese are rather uncommon, however they are common during migration in April and account for 1% of checklists at the time.
Ross’ Geese, who frequently flock with Snow Geese, are quite similar to them. Their small, gray-based red-orange beaks, short and stubby pink-red legs, and black wingtips are the only parts of them that aren’t white. The female is somewhat smaller than the male.
Ross’ Goose has a dark phase version, however it’s extremely uncommon. It features a white skull, a brownish beak with a crimson patch, black gray necks, underbelly, and back.
- Anser rossii
- Length: 21 – 26 in (53 – 66 cm)
- Weight: 59.2 oz (1678 g)
- Wingspan: 47 – 54 in (119 – 137 cm)
Ross’ Geese live in the United States during the winter and breed in northern Canada.
During the winter, you may spot Ross’ Geese in both salt and freshwater marshes. They’ll breed on the arctic tundra throughout the breeding season.
Ross’s geese feed on grass, sedges, and tiny grains they find in wetlands, meadows, and fields. They are grazers that eat primarily on grass.
In colonies on lake islands and arctic tundra, Ross’s Geese nests may be found. Females construct nests of downy grasses, moss, leaves, and twigs on the ground. Each female breeds four to five eggs and spends around three weeks incubating them.
Fun Fact: The tiniest geese in North America are Ross’ geese.
5. Greater White-fronted Goose
During migration, Greater White-fronted Geese may be seen in Montana, although they are relatively uncommon.
In Europe, the Greater White-fronted Goose is called White-fronted Goose, whereas in North America, it is known as Greater Whitefront.
Greater White-fronted Geese are both rather large geese, and both sexes seem comparable.
They are frequently mistaken for the Graylag Goose because their barred feathers 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. Their underparts also have 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 spend the winter in the United States and Mexico, with a preference for Canada. Nonetheless, Europe and East Asia are also home to these species.
The west of northern Canada is home to the Greater White-fronted Goose, which spends the winter along the West Coast of the United States, The Gulf Coast, and Mexico.
During the breeding season, Greater White-fronted Geese may be found in marshy tundra, wetlands, rivers, and ponds. They rest in agricultural fields, marshes, bays, and lakes during the winter.
Greater White-fronted Geese forage on both land and water. They feed on crops like seeds and grains from agricultural fields. They also eat grasses and berries. When near water, they forage for aquatic insects and mollusks.
In shallow depressions in the tundra, nests of Greater White-fronted Geese may be found. They generally contain three to six eggs and are covered with grass and down. For two to three weeks, the female nurtures them.
In shallow depressions in the tundra, Greater White-fronted Geese nests may be found. They are usually found with three to six eggs and are lined with grass and down. For two to three weeks, the female incubates them.
Fun Fact: Long-term family ties exist among Greater White-fronted Geese. The juveniles stay with their parents until the following breeding season, and they migrate together, even with their offspring.
6. Brant
In Montana, Brant Geese are an accidental species. They were last sighted around Flathead in 2012, and they are extremely rare in the state.
A black head, neck, and chest, a white collar or mark on the neck, and a white rump distinguish the Brant Goose, a tiny goose. There are, however, many subspecies with varying degrees of lighter or darker coloration.
- Branta bernicla
- Length: 22 – 26 in (56 – 66 cm)
- Weight: 63.84 oz (1809 g)
- Wingspan: 43 – 48 in (109 – 122 cm)
Before migrating to coastal regions of the United States and Mexico, Brant Geese breed in Canada and Alaska. They have a second home in Europe as well.
During the breeding season, you may see Brant Geese in tundra, marshes, islands, and coastal regions. Salt marshes, lagoon, mudflats, and tidal estuaries are all where they spend the winter.
Both on land and in water, Brant geese feed mostly on plant material. They eat eelgrass, but they’ll eat any grass that’s available. Sedges, pondweed, and aquatic insects are also eaten.
Brant Geese nests are commonly found on tiny islands in tundra ponds or on high ground. They’re made of down-lined grass bowls.
Fun Fact: Brant geese have a lifespan of up to 28 years.
7. Egyptian Goose
In Montana, Egyptian Geese are extremely uncommon, having only been sighted at Great Falls in 2020.
The Egyptian Goose, which is frequently seen in zoos and aviaries but has become invasive in some regions, is an ornamental bird.
Egyptian geese have a lot of characteristics that set them apart from other geese. A brown patch surrounds their golden-yellow or orange eyes. Their bills are pink on top and black on the bottom, with their heads being whitish-gray with some reddish tints at the nape.
The collar of these animals is reddish-brown. Their backs and wings are a mix of white, green, brown, and black; their breasts are tan, and their bellies are white with gray linings. Legs and feet are pink in color.
The head and nape of juveniles are darker reddish-brown. Their bellies are usually brown or tan. Dark brown back and wings.
- Alopochen aegyptiaca
- Length: 24 – 29 in (61 – 74 cm)
- Weight: 70 – 77.5 oz (1984 – 2196 g)
- Wingspan: 52 – 60 in (132 – 152 cm)
Escaped Egyptian Geese may be found in Europe and North America, despite their African origin.
Egyptian Goose may be found near water in open, wetlands, and non-forested areas. Zoos and aviaries are also common places for them to be kept.
Seeds, leaves, grasses, and plant stems are all favorite foods for Egyptian geese. Algae and aquatic plants, as well as insects and tiny creatures, will be eaten.
Egyptian Goose nests are situated on the ground and inside trees, caves, and other creatures’ nests. The nests, which hold up to twenty-two eggs and take approximately a month to hatch, are mostly made of grasses, leaves, and down.
Fun Fact: In Ancient Egypt, the Egyptian Goose was considered a holy bird, and its image can be found in a variety of craft.