no definite winter records north of California 

 (Springer et al. 1978). 



In fall migration, the geese leave the Aleutian 

 Islands breeding area as early as late August 

 (Woolington and D. R. Yparraguirre unpubl. ms.) 

 and early September (Byrd and Springer 1976), 

 and move eastvi^ard along the Aleutian chain to 

 possible staging areas on Unimak Island. They 

 arrive on the northwestern California coast and 

 in the Sacramento Valley between October and 

 early November. They are not found north of 

 there, suggesting that they fly directly overwater 

 from the western Aleutians to the coast of north- 

 western California. From there, they move south- 

 ward through the interior valleys of California to 

 their wintering grounds (Springer et al. 1978, D. 

 W. Woolington et al. unpubl. ms.). 



The migrants move from their San Joaquin 

 Valley wintering area to a staging area near Cres- 

 cent City in northwestern California between 

 middle of February and early March. They leave 

 that staging area for the Aleutian Islands breeding 

 grounds during the latter part of April, presum- 

 ably flying directly northwestward over the Pacific 

 Ocean, although several reports of unhanded 

 specimens presumed to be Aleutian Canada geese 

 have been received from the mouth of the Colum- 

 bia River (Byrd and Springer 1976, Springer et al. 

 1978). 



Confusion in taxonomy of Aleutian and Com- 

 mander Islands populations of Branta canadensis 

 has led to misconceptions, including the reported 

 nesting of three subspecies, hutchinsii, minima, 

 and asiatica in those islands (Bent 1912, 1925; 

 Murie 1959; J. W. Aldrich 1946). ActuaUy, only 

 one subspecies, leucopareia, nests in the Aleutian 

 Islands (Delacour 1954), and B. c. asiatica of the 

 Commander Islands is now thought to be the same 

 as leucopareia (]. W. Aldrich ms.; Austin and 

 Kuroda 1953; Palmer 1976). 



RANGE MAP 



Past and present breeding areas and present 

 wintering area from Byrd and Springer (1976) 

 and Springer et al. (1978) are shown on the fol- 

 lowing range map. 



STATES/COUNTIES 



Alaska (localities): Attu I., Agattu I., Semichi 



Ids., Buldir I., Kiska I., 

 Amchitka I., Tanaga I., 



Kanaga I., Adak I., Atka I., 

 probably taverneri on un- 

 derlined areas, Unimak I. 

 and possibly on Izembek 

 Bay, head of Morzhovoi 

 Bay, Nelson Lagoon, Port 

 MoUer. 



California (counties) : Del Norte, Humboldt, 



Mendocino, Glenn, Colusa, 

 Sutter, Yolo, Solano, Sac- 

 ramento, Contra Costa, 

 San Joaquin, Stanislaus, 

 Merced, San Luis Obispo, 

 Imperial, and San Fran- 

 cisco (southeast Farallon 

 Island). 



Arizona: Mohave. 



Sonora. 



Hokkaido and Honshu I. 



Mexico: 

 Japan: 



HABITAT 



Nesting habitat was reported along the banks 

 of small streams that enter the sea through gaps 

 in high bluffs and on grassy hillsides on Agattu 

 (Clark 1910), and in marshes and lagoons with 

 rank aquatic vegetation on the Semichi Islands 

 (Turner 1886). Nesting on rugged sea cliffs cut by 

 watercourses where grasses and sedges grow in 

 rank profusion was reported (not interior flatlands 

 with ponds) on Buldir (Murie 1959, Jones 1963, 

 G. V. Byrd and D. W. Woolington unpubl. ms.). 

 Nesting habitat in the Aleutian Islands is charac- 

 terized by polar maritime climate with high hum- 

 idity, fog, rain, and small diurnal annual range of 

 temperature Qones 1963). Molting habitat is in 

 the uplands. Night roosting habitat is shallow 

 pools on mountainsides on Attu (Turner 1886); 

 islands, ponds, and flooded fields in migration 

 and wintering areas (D. W. Woolington et al. un- 

 publ. ms.). Fall, winter, and spring habitats in 

 California are fields from which lima bean, black- 

 eyed bean, rice and com have been harvested; 

 green barley and wheat fields; and flood-irrigated 

 and nonirrigated land (D. W. Woolington et al. 

 and Springer 1977 unpubl. ms.). 



FOOD AND FORAGING 



The birds fatten in the fall on Vaccinium ber- 

 ries on Attu (Turner 1886) and on crowberries 

 (Empetrum migrum) at Buldir (G. V. Byrd and 



