Canada goose is the largest goose in the world. They fly in V-shaped formation which is considered to be more energy efficient particularly over long migratory routes and help in increase in flight range by 71%. In fact this type of V-formation is also used by military aircrafts while on flight missions. Canada geese communciate during their flights by honking and shifting positions during their flight in order to take turns.
They mate assortatively, larger birds choosing larger mates and smaller ones choosing smaller mates. They mate for life and have very low divorce rate. While the Female geese builds the nest, the male geese acts as a sentry watching the nest from a nearby location. On the ground the geese prefer a spot with fairly unobstructed view in all directions. Spacing of these pairs depends on the population density. When the population is large, the birds nest in view of one another.
The baby geese learn to swim in less than 24 hours after they are born and trained by their parents to dive 30-40 feet underwater by the time they are 1 day old. Soon they become more independent and groups of goslings join together to form gang broods of upto 100 goslings and learn to fly between 2-3 months of age.
Join me Shravan Regret Iyer @shravanregretiyer3lenses and explore ‘This is America’
Also visit @regretiyerproductions@shravanregretiyer & shravanregretiyer.com for more immersive stories from the natural world.
SHRAVAN REGRET IYER 