Appendix 6.3(11) Continued 



White-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) 



The white-fronted goose or speckle belly is a relatively common winter 

 resident, although average peak numbers are only about 10% of those for the 

 lesser snow goose. They are primarily a bird of the western flyways, a reflec- 

 tion of the westerly location of their breeding grounds in northwestern Canada 

 and Alaska. These birds migrate to Louisiana and Texas by way of the Mis- 

 sissippi and Central Flyways. The Louisiana Chenier Plain represents the 

 easternmost part of the winter range, and the population is concentrated in 

 the region of Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, where they take advantage 

 of enhanced fresh marsh conditions as well as protection from hunters. How- 

 ever, white-fronted geese are prized by hunters, and large numbers are taken 

 each year (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1975). 



Canada goose (Branta oanadiensis) 



The largest of North American geese, the Canada goose is not represent- 

 ed in large numbers in the Chenier Plain, but winters farther to the north, 

 east and west. Historically Canada geese were more numerous than at present 

 in Louisiana, with populations of 30,000 to 50,000 individuals in the 1930's 

 and 1,000 to 5,000 birds within the last decade (Yancey 1960). The primary 

 cause for this decline is the management practices in the northern Mississippi 

 River Valley, where birds "short stop" to take advantage of habitat provided 

 by State and Federal wildlife refuges (Hawkins 1964). The most extreme ex- 

 ample of shortstopping occurs at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin 

 where in 30 years the wintering population has grown from a negligible number 

 to around 200,000. 



Canada geese wintering in the Chenier Plain are members of a popula- 

 tion which breed in the eastern prairie section of Canada, which includes 

 Ontario and Manitoba (Chabreck et al. 1974). They migrate through the 

 Dakotas, Iowa and thence down the Mississippi Valley. Many geese which 

 formerly made the trip to the Chenier Plain now stop in Missouri. In an 

 effort to reverse this trend, wildlife biologists at Rockefeller Wildlife 

 Refuge have successfully induced Canada geese to breed locally. From the 

 initiation of the project in 1960, the flock had grown to over 1,000 in 

 1969 (Chabreck 1970). 



In regions of Texas outside the Chenier Plain, most notably the rice 

 prairies of central coastal Texas, the Canada geese are numerous, second 

 only to the lesser snow geese (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 1976). 



Mallard {Anas plati/rhynohos) 



The mallard is and has been the most important game bird among all 

 Louisiana waterfowl. Although other species have been present in greater 

 numbers in recent years, mallards are still the largest contributor to the 

 total waterfowl harvest. Reasons for the mallard's popularity among hunters 

 are its large size, its plant diet, and its unequaled adaptability to a vari- 

 ety of habitats which makes it highly accessible to hunters. 



Mallards breed in the northern Great Plains of Manitoba, Saskatchewan 

 and the Dakotas, a region without parallel in magnitude of waterfowl pro- 



90 



