CLASSIFICATION AND RANGE 
A brief discussion of the classification and ranges of the Canada 
geese concerned in management programs in the Mississippi and Central 
Flyways is presented, based on the works of Aldrich (1946, 1957), Todd 
(1938) , Hanson (1951), Hanson and Smith (1950), Hanson and Griffith 
(1952), and Delacour (1954), to clarify the subspecies or races with 
which we are dealing. These involve the Great Basin goose (Branta 
canadensis moffitti) which is associated with western portions of the 
Central Flyway and ranges eastward to the Missouri River; the Interior 
or Todd's goose of the Mississippi Flyway (B. c. interior), and the 
smaller forms commonly referred to as Richardson's or Hutchin's goose 
(B. ¢. hutchinsi) and the lesser Canada goose (B. c. parvipes), 
referred to here generally as "small" Canada geese, which migrate in 
sizable numbers through the eastern Dakotas, western Minnesota, and 
south through Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. 
The broad ranges of the major populations of Canada geese are 
shown in figures 1 and 3. For the sake of standardizing terminology, 
"population" is used to designate all components of a given group 
utilizing fairly well defined breeding grounds, migration routes, 
and wintering grounds. Each population may be made up of several 
"flocks" associated with specific concentrations north of the primary 
wintering grounds, 
In reviewing figure 1, it should be pointed out that the Atlantic 
population in reality should perhaps be broken down into two or more 
major components, such as north Atlantic and south Atlantic, as sug- 
gested by Hanson and Smith (1950) and Williams. This population is 
made up largely of two races of the common Canada goose, B. ce cana- 
densis and B. c. interior. 
The Southeastern population intermingles to some degree with 
the Mississippi Valley population, but the major segments do continue 
in an easterly and southerly direction to the interior areas of 
Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Band recovery 
data from birds banded at the Jack Miner Sanctuary in Ontario and 
additional limited banding in eastern Michigan indicate that the 
breeding ground of these birds is in the southern James Bay region. 
This group consists probably entirely of the Interior Canada goose, 
B. ¢o interior. 
The Mississippi Valley population, B. c. interior, is perhaps 
better defined than any other group of geese, largely because of the 
extensive work done by Dr. Hanson, personnel from the Illinois Conser- 
vation Department, and other Federal and State personnel cooperating in 
management and census programs. It has been well established that the 
breeding range for this population extends from the western James Bay 
