Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Family Anatidae

Characteristics:
* Head and neck black, with a distinctive white patch running to the sides of the head.
* Back and wings gray-brown.
* Canada geese fly in groups, in an easily recognizable V-shaped formation.
* Body length: 25-43".

Natural History:
* Habitat: Lakes, ponds, bays, marshes, and meadows. Nests usually on the ground and sometimes in trees.
* Range: Alaska, Canada, and northern United States. Winters in Mexico.
* Voice: A deep, musical honking - ka-ronk or ka-lunk.
* Behavior: Feeds on roots, grains, grasshoppers, and eel grass. Eggs buff-colored and large.
* Native.

Connections!
* Canada geese are speedy fliers - during migration they can fly 75-120 feet per second! They are also democratic while maintaining their V-shaped flying formation - the leaders flying at the point of the V switch positions.

* "The fault is great in man or woman
Who steals a goose from off a common;
But what can plead that man's excuse
Who steals a common from a goose?"
-Anonymous, in The Tickler Magazine, February 1, 1821.