A myth that hummingbirds hitchhike and migrate on the backs of geese does not have a story of origin that we have found. Hummingbirds do not do that. That is not a unique characteristic of the two avian species. But did you know that geese can recognize human faces?

Sonia Kleindorfer, director of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition in Vienna, Austria, used AI facial recognition technology with geese, and found that geese can do this. There are numerous unique characteristics when it comes to how geese navigate through their lives. 

Texomaland Geese Species and Colors Identification

We most commonly encounter three species of geese that call Texomaland home year-round and part-time. Canada, Ross, and snow geese, plus hybrid geese species, love Lake Texoma with its coves, fields, fish, and breeding grounds. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) defines these groups as light geese and dark geese. 

Light geese include blue geese, Ross’s geese, and snow geese are light geese with two snow geese subspecies, lesser snow geese and greater snow geese Brant, Canada, and white-fronted geese (specklebellies) are dark geese. Light geese have white heads and light-colored bodies. Dark geese have dark-colored bodies and darker heads.

Geese’s head colors help hunters identify their catch for reporting accuracy. Ross's geese are mistaken for lesser snow geese because of their similar appearance. Both snow geese subspecies are not always white. The most common snow goose color is white with black wing tips.

Common Traits of All Geese Species

Geese live around the world. But most North American geese are migratory. There are nine common species of geese found in the U.S. If we take the time to look at geese behavior in the air, on land, and on the water in Texomaland, we will notice some incredible behavior.

Traits that all geese species share are that geese are extremely loyal, they mate for life, and they fly in the V formation. We see them in abundance in spring and fall, their migration seasons. They use tremendous energy when migrating.

Geese forage for food in open fields whether migrating, nesting, or raising their young and can cause economic losses for farmers. Most geese begin breeding at age three during their third full summer, but some attempt to nest during their first or second full summer. All geese have webbed feet.

Geese flying in V-formation are called a skein, team, or wedge. On land, geese form a gaggle. Geese do not have teeth, but they appear to. They have serrated edges on the inside of their bills called tomia. Tomia are tiny, evenly spaced, sharp, conical, cartilage projections. These function to grip food. Geese eat slick foods, like aquatic plants and small fish.

Scientists believe the reason that geese fly in the V-formation is because of the “drafting effect; which helps the geese to conserve their energy while flying long distances. The lead gander splits the air current while using the most energy.

Geese take turns flying in the lead to save energy. When the lead goose tires, he moves to the back, and another goose takes over the lead spot. Each goose in the V-formation flies a little bit above the goose in front of it. It is theorized that the lead bird breaks the headwind, allowing the birds behind to draft along the airflow from the front.

Geese behind the lead change positions. They speak to each other with honks while in V-formations. When a goose becomes injured or sick, two other geese will fall out of formation and stay with the downed goose until it is able to fly again. They work together to catch up with the rest of the flock.

Another scientific theory about geese honking while in V-formation suggests that are cheering each other on like they are at a high school prep rally. Geese use the same migration route and always return to the same areas on each long flight. 

The Central Waterfowl Flyway

The flyway management system divides North America into four waterfowl migration flyways, the Atlantic, Central, Mississippi, and Pacific. Texomaland is part of the Central Waterfowl Migration Flyway. This system is based on waterfowl migration patterns.

If humans traveled like geese and other waterfowl from breeding grounds to wintering regions twice a year, we could consider our migrations epic journeys, and these journeys could be considered our life’s mission. The massive Central Flyway covers over one million square miles in North America’s interior region. Flyways consist of geographical combinations.

The Central Flyway stretches from Canada's boreal forest and parklands across the Great Plains to the Texas Gulf Coast. The Central Flyway comprises the states of Kansas, Nebraska; New Mexico east of the Continental Divide, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan.

The flyways are crucial to waterfowl conservation. The highest priority conservation areas in this flyway include the Prairie Pothole Region in the Great Plains grasslands that span parts of the United States and Canada and the Texas Gulf Coast.

The migrating birds use flyway routes that provide efficient travel paths with vital stopover sites for feeding and resting, so the birds can rest and refuel like we humans do with our planes, trains, and automobiles when traveling long distances for days and weeks.

Geese Species of Texomaland

Canada geese live in Texomaland year-round. Ross geese arrive in November and fly north in the spring. Lesser snow geese fly in around October and leave in February and March. Texomaland does not see the greater snow goose.

Canada Geese

The Canada Goose is the only North American goose that breeds from the Arctic Ocean to Florida and from Labrador west to the Aleutian Islands. And they love Lake Texoma year-round. Their populations across North America range in size from giant subspecies to smaller subspecies.

Although Canada geese live in Texomaland year-round, some Canada geese migrate and winter from southern Alaska and southern Canada to northern Mexico. The year-rounders breed throughout most of Alaska, Canada and the lower 48 United States, except for Arizona and Southern California.

Adult Canada geese spread their wings from 50 to 73 inches and grow from 25 to 45-inches long. They are one of the world's largest goose species. They sport grayish brown backs, sides, breasts, and wings, regal black heads, bills, black feet, legs, necks, and tails.

White cheek patches dot their faces with a white "chinstrap" that runs across their throats. Goslings hatch with light yellow with greenish-gray heads. Their wide, flat bills have serrated edges with teeth-like lamellae for cutting short grasses. Canada geese’s large webbed feet are set farther forward than in other waterfowl and allow them to walk easily.

Canada geese breed in lakes, marshes, and streams, and riparian areas. They build their nests in vegetation, on platforms, or on low stumps. The female builds her nest with cattails, grasses, rushes, or sticks. She adds a down feather lining when she begins to lay her eggs, which can range from two to eight eggs layed in 1.5-day intervals.

Her eggs are creamy or dirty white and become nest-stained during the 25 to 28-day incubation period. Canada geese prefer to feed on small aquatic animals, aquatic plants, grains, and grass. Ganders fiercely defend their mate and offspring. They will lunge at any suspected foe, and have been known to rush at elk.

When Canada geese attack, they stretch out their necks while hissing and honking loudly. This is a warning to predators, and they will resort to biting and slapping intruders with their wings. For six weeks, when the weather warms up, Canada geese molt. In this period, they cannot fly.

Coyotes, foxes, and raccoons prey on Canada geese in this season. However, water bodies come to the rescue. The gaggles feed on open land right near water bodies in this period. Depending on the size of the gaggle, several or more ganders stretch their heads way up and stand sentry.

These ganders take turns doing guard duty so everyone has a chance to fill their bellies. They will swiftly lead the geese and goslings to the water for safety if they detect a threat. Urbanization has increased in most cities, and this creates expansive, well-manicured lawns with man-made ponds.

Along with urbanization, so has the Canada geese populations grown in cities and large towns with multiple parks and city lakes and ponds with little threat from natural predators. When Canada geese have large grassy spaces with unobstructed views, food, and water, they have no need to leave for the winter if the water does not freeze.

If Canada geese migrate, they can fly 1,500 miles in a day if the weather is permitting. Canada geese travel at about 40 mph during migration, but can catch a powerful tailwind and rev it up to 70 mph. Generally, they fly in groups of 30 to 100 birds. North America is home to over five million Canada geese.

Lesser Snow Geese

At one time, the rice fields on the Texas coast attracted many more lesser snow geese than we see on the Texas coast now. They still land in gaggles of thousands at a time. Most snow geese nest in Canada above the Arctic Circle. Northern Alaska, northwestern Greenland, and in far-northeastern Siberia also provide breeding grounds.

Texoma sees the lesser snow goose species. Snow geese breed and nest from May to mid-August up north. A few begin to arrive in Texomaland in September. From around mid-October to mid-November, they arrive in large numbers, and they depart mid-February to mid-March.

Saltwater environments attract snow geese, so Texomans see a myriad of snow geese because of Lake Texoma’s high saltwater content. They prefer to rest in open areas like farm fields and lakes on their way south. They winter in greater numbers on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico more than in North Texas. 

Lesser snow geese have distinct color morphs. Morphs are phases where a percentage of the adult members of the species wear a different color pattern from others, and this pattern is a permanent condition. The two distinct morphs of lesser snow geese are white and blue.

White morph snow geese are all white with black wing tips that are not so visible when on the ground but noticeable in flight. Blue morph snow geese have a variably dark body, white armpits visible in flight, and a white head. Both blue and white snow geese sport pink bills, pink feet, and a black grin patch.

The goose chooses her nesting site, builds the nest by herself, and the male gander stands guard for her during the nesting and egg-laying process. She hides her nest in vegetation and tries to build it on dry ground. If melting arctic snow leaves her nesting site damp, she may start building several nests before choosing a final site. At that point, she may start laying her first egg within one hour.

White morph geese goslings wear speckles with areas of brown buff, especially on their heads. Juvenile dark morphs have dark brown feathers all over without noticeable white markings. Adult snow geese eat flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, stems, and tubers. Goslings might eat fly larvae. 

Polluted waterways are a common threat to all geese. Snow geese’s natural predators are black bears, caribou, eagles, foxes, gray wolves, gulls, jaegers, owls, polar bears, and ravens. Snow geese habitually choose their mates based on morph and prefer mates with the same plumage as close family members. 

During their first three weeks of life, snow geese can walk up to 50 miles. A dark line along their beaks is called a grinning patch. They brood (lay eggs) once a year with an average of two to six eggs. Snow goose incubation lasts 19 to 25 days, and typically, the female is on her nest for 21 days.

Snow goose eggs are white with stains. The first laid eggs become more stained than the last laid eggs. Goslings hatch with open eyes and covered in down. Snow geese goslings leave the nest one day after hatching.

We cannot witness this process in Texomaland because snow geese breed solely in far northern North American regions. Scientists estimate the world snow geese population to be around 16 million. The oldest recorded individual was over 30 years old.

Ross’s Goose

Ross's Geese are mostly all white, except for black wingtips. A rare one may be dark-colored like a blue morph Snow Goose. Sometimes confused with white-phase snow geese, Ross’s geese are about 40% smaller. Goslings are yellow and gray but grow look identical once they develop adult feathers.

Ross’s geese hatch covered with down and open eyes. They leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching and can swim and feed. Their legs are olive gray and turn deep red as they mature. Adults have a rounded head above a short neck with short, triangular, bluish bills.

Ross’s geese breeding populations are expanding in the arctic regions. Their breeding ranges are now overlapping with snow geese’s in the arctic, producing hybridization with snow geese. Ross’s geese have no geographic variation or identified subspecies. 

This goose species was considered a rare species before 1900, but there were no hunting regulations then, so their populations may have been depleted. Populations have increased significantly due to conservation mitigation. Their numbers have grown so large that state wildlife agencies have raised hunting bag limits.

Ross’s geese are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and listed as a “Species of Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Hudson's Bay Company members first discovered the arctic nesting grounds of Ross's geese in 1940.

Bernard R. Ross, associated with the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada's Northwest Territories, is this geese specie’s namesake. Females build their nests on the ground with down, grass, leaves, moss, and twigs in dry, low, arctic tundra regions. They only breed in Canada.

They prefer to nest in colonies on islands in shallow lakes and on the adjacent mainland near areas abundant in sedges and grasses and in groves of dwarf birch and willow. Females lay an average of 4 eggs per clutch, her eggs are white and become stained, and incubation runs 21 to 23 days.

The goose and gander select their nesting site together. Their reproductive process depends on the timing of the arctic snowmelt. The gander guards her through her incubation period until the goslings can leave the nest, usually about 24 hours after hatching. Ross's geese colonize during their breeding season.

They are non-aggressive and only attack if they detect a threat. When Ross's geese attack, they will rush towards an intruder while making a hissing sound. Both sexes squawk loudly and will attack by biting and slapping the intruder with their wings. After an altercation, the pair returns to their nest and performs a Triumph Ceremony. They stretch out their necks, raise their bills, and cry out with a low, moaning call.

In mid-October, Ross’s geese migrate to the Midwestern United States, California, the Atlantic Coast, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. They begin their journey back to Canada from mid-April to May. During fall migration, Ross’s geese stopover in marshes and agricultural fields, where they consume barley, field peas, wheat, and wheatgrass.

On their trek home to nest in spring, these migrants source food in wet meadows and look for native prairie plants while traveling northward. When migrating, they roost overnight in wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs. Large Ross’s geese and snow geese populations change plant communities in the places where they nest.

They form large, growing colonies and strip extensive areas of vegetation. In their tundra nesting grounds, some of these exposed areas caused by geese of the tundra are visible from space. By 1931, extensive trapping and shooting had led to record low nesting Ross’s geese populations.

The U.S. banned hunting Ross’s geese in 1931 and Canada soon adopted a hunting ban on this species. Ross’s goose populations have consistently increased since the 1960s. Today, scientists estimate their North American population at over two million individuals.

The oldest recorded Ross's Goose was a female at least 22-years, 6-months-old when a California hunter took her in 1993. A Saskatchewan Province organization banded her in 1972. Banding data shows that Ross’s geese can live up to 22.5 years. Researchers believe their lifespan ranges from ten to 25 years.