COMMON CANADA GOOSE 



83 



ish grey, barred with white; underparts, sometimes stained rusty; jeet, black. 

 Tail, black; upper and under coverts, white. Wings. All coverts, brownish grey 

 with pale edging to the feathers; primaries, dusky, the three outer primaries 

 emarginate on inner web near tip, fourth tapering; secondaries, outer webs, greyish, 

 inner webs, dusky; tertials, greyish brown; lining and axillars, light greyish brown. 



JUVENILE. During first autumn young birds closely resemble adults but colours 

 are duller and more blended, Head and neck duller, browner black; cheeks more 

 brownish white, sometimes barred or speckled with dusky, and edges of black 

 areas not so clearly cut; light edgings above not so distinct, and sides of chest 

 and sides indistinctly mottled, rather than clearly barred; breast darker than in 

 adults; upper tail-coverts whitish, marked with brownish grey at tips. During 

 autumn and winter these differences disappear by means of wear and moult, so 

 that by spring young birds are practically indistinguishable from adults. 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



ADULTS BOTH SEXES. General effect: A very large, brownish-grey goose, 

 with head and full length of neck, black, except for white cheek-patches. This 

 colour pattern will distinguish the "Honker" from all geese except the other 

 varieties of the Canada Goose. The Barnacle Goose, which also has white cheeks, 

 has the forehead white as well. 



There are five varieties or subspecies of Branta canadensis, the Canada Goose. 

 Three are of the comparatively pale body colour of the 

 "Honker" and nso are much darker. 



The three light-coloured birds are: Common 

 Canada Goose, a very large bird (9 pounds approxi- 

 mately); Lesser Canada Goose, a medium-sized bird 

 (5 pounds approximately); and Richardson's Goose, 

 a small bird (4 pounds approximately). The two 

 dark forms are: Western Canada Goose, a very large 

 bird, about the same size as the Common Canada 

 Goose; and Cackling Goose, the smallest of the tribe 

 (3 pounds approximately). The two dark varieties are 

 exclusively birds of the west coast. 



As there is no difference in size between the two 

 large varieties, Common Canada Goose and Western 

 Canada Goose, the colour shade of body plumage is 

 the chief distinguishing feature. 



Colour of body plumage is again the chief fea- 

 ture distinguishing the two small varieties, Richard- 

 son's and Cackling Goose, though the former bird 

 averages heavier than the latter. 



The Lesser Canada Goose is of exactly the same 

 coloration as the Common Canada Goose and is only 

 distinguished by being about half the size. 



For details of colour variations and other minor 

 differences see "Descriptions." 



Intergradation probably occurs between the dif- 

 ferent subspecies of the Canada Goose, as many speci- 



FIG. 40. Comparative sizes 

 of bills of Canada Geese. 

 Top, Common Canada 

 Goose and Western Canada 

 Goose, Middle, Lesser Can- 

 ada Goose. Bottom, Rich- 

 ardson's Goose and Cack- 



ling Goose. 

 mens are recorded which are difficult to determine with certainty. 



JUVENILES. Immature birds are very similar to adults. See "Descriptions." 



