EMPESOB GOOSE 243 



Emperor Goose 



Philacte canagica (Sevastianoff) 



Other names — White-headed Goose; Beach Goose. 



Description — Adults, ioth sexes: Whole head (except throat) and hind neck, 

 white, forming an extensive hood, often stained with rusty; chin, throat and 

 foreneck blackish brown, abruptly outlined; iris "hazel"; membrane about 

 nostrils "livid blue," rest of upper mandible "pale purplish or fleshy white," 

 nail "white," its edges "dark horn color"; lower mandible "dark horn- 

 color," spot on each side "white" (Nelson, 1887, p. 91); back, sides and breast 

 bluish ash, each feather with a subterminal bar of black or blackish brown 

 followed by a narrower tipping of white, the whole giving a conspicuously 

 scaled effect; rump, belly and under tail coverts barred with very pale brown; 

 tail slate color at base, with terminal third white; outer surface of closed 

 wing similar to back; terminal portions of primary and secondary flight 

 feathers slaty black; legs and feet bright "orange-yellow" (Nelson, loc. cit.). 

 Males: Total length 26.00-28.00 inches (660-710 mm.) (Nelson, loc. cit.); folded 

 wing 13.50-15.50 (343-394); bill along culmen 1.42-1.60 (36.1-40.6); tarsus 

 2.50-2.98 (63.5-75.7) (four specimens from Alaska and California). Females: 

 total length 25.60-27.50 (650-698) (Nelson, loc. cit.); folded wing 14.75- 

 15.45 (375-392) ; bill along culmen 1.45 (36.8) ; tarsus 2.71-2.87 (68.7-72.8) (two 

 specimens from Alaska). Juvenile plumage: Similar to that of adult but white 

 hood sprinkled with spots of dusky or black, barring on back and breast 

 dull brown rather than black, bill duller colored, and legs and feet lighter 

 colored. Natal plumage: No description available. 



Marks for field identification — Medium size (for a goose) and short neck. 

 Head and neck (except throat) white, plumage ashy blue barred with black, 

 tail white tipped, bill and feet light colored. 



Nest — On the ground, usually in salt marshes and often among fragments 

 of driftwood; made of grass, leaves and feathers (Nelson, 1887, p. 90). 



Eggs — 3 to 8, ovate to elongate ovate in shape, measuring in inches, 2.72 to 3.14 

 by 1.91 to 2.09 (in millimeters, 69.0 to 79.7 by 48.5 to 53.0)^ and averaging 

 2.93 by 2.00 (74.3 by 50.8); color white, but usually more or less stained with 

 yellow (twenty eggs from Yukon Delta, Alaska). 



General distribution — Northwestern North America and extreme eastern 

 Siberia. In North America breeds in Alaska from north of Gape Prince of 

 Wales south to mouth of Kuskokwin Eiver and on St. Lawrence Island. 

 Winters in southern Alaska from Bristol Bay to Sitka, but chiefly in the 

 Aleutian Islands; casual or rare in British Columbia, California, and Hawaii 

 (modified from A. O. U. Check-list, 1910, p. 88). 



Distribution in California — Rather rare winter visitant to fresh-water 

 situations in northwestern half of the state. Recorded instances of occur- 

 rence are: Humboldt Bay, winter of 1884 (C. H. Townsend, 1886, p. 491); 

 Colusa, November, 1912; Dixon, Solano County, three specimens; Ingomar, 

 Merced County, December, 1912; and near Modesto, Stanislaus County, Novem- 

 ber 15, 1913 (H. C. Bryant, 19146, p. 92) ; Gridley, Butte County, fall of 1895 

 (Loomis, 1901, p. 105) and November 1, 1915 (C. S. Muller, 1916, p. 32); 

 Rio Vista, Solano County, November 3, 1910 (Littlejohn, 1912, p. 41); near 

 Davis, Yolo County, December, 1906 (H. C. Bryant, 1915a, pp. 58-59); and 

 San Francisco markets, October 8, 1900 (Loomis, loc. cit.). Each record is 

 of a single specimen except as noted. 



