EMPEROR GOOSE 



113 



Emperor Goose 



Philacte canagica 

 (fi-lak-te, kan-aj-i-ka) 



Colour Plate No. 3. Downy Young No. 32. 



SCIENTIFIC NAME 



Philacte, from Greek, philos, meaning loving, and akte, meaning the seashore; 

 canagica, Latinized form, meaning of the island of Kanaga or Kyktak. 



COLLOQUIAL NAMES 



Beech goose; painted goose; white-headed goose. 



DESCRIPTION 



ADULTS. BOTH SEXES. Head and back of neck, white, though often suffused 

 with rusty stain; chin, throat and foreneck, brownish black, definitely outlined 

 against white of face and hind neck; dark of foreneck merges into colour of chest; 

 bill, upper and lower mandibles, pale purplish or flesh colour with white nail; 

 lower mandible, flecked with black; eye, hazel or brown. Body Back, scapulars, chest 

 and sides, silvery grey, feathers terminating in black followed by whitish tips, 

 giving impression of continuous black and white bars on ashy background; breast, 

 bell\ and flanks, like back, but pattern finer and whitish tips often stained yellowish; 

 loicer back and rump, ashy brown, feather-tips paler; feet, bright orange yellow, 

 clau's black. Tail, white; upper coverts like rump; under coverts, similar, but 

 feathers usually more markedly tipped with whitish or yellowish. Wings. All coverts, 

 bluish ash, with black then white tips to feathers; primaries, silvery grey, dusky near 

 tips; secondaries, silvery grey, basally, slaty black near tips, with white edgings; 

 tertials, black with white edgings; lining and axillars, silvery grey. 



JUVENILE. During first autumn, generally similar to adults, except white 

 of head and neck, spotted with dusky; brown, instead of black barring, on back; 

 bill, duller; feet, paler. After complete moult during summer, plumage fully adult. 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



ADULTS. General effect: A medium-sized goose, 

 with ashy plumage barred with black and white. 

 Chief distinguishing features, (a) head and hind 

 neck, white (often suffused with rusty), definitely 

 outlined against black foreneck, (b) feet, orange 

 yellow. 



The only other geese with yellow feet are the 

 White-fronted and Tule geese. The head and the 

 entire neck of the somewhat similar Blue Goose 

 are white. 



JUVENILES. Closely resemble the adults. See "Description." 



FIELD MARKS 



(A maritime species of the southwest coast of Alaska.) 



