Emperor Goose
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Other uses: Goose (disambiguation)
The Emperor Goose (Chen canagica) is a species of goose. It breeds around the Bering Sea, mostly in Alaska, USA, but also in Kamchatka, Russia. It is migratory, wintering mainly in the Aleutian Islands.
The American ornithologist David Sibley places this species and the North American "white" geese in the genus Chen, rather than the more traditional "grey" goose genus Anser.
This goose has a stout grey body, subtly barred with fine barring, and a white head and hindneck, often stained orange from iron-rich waters. Unlike the blue morph Snow Goose, the white does not extend onto the front of the neck. The sexes are similar, but immatures have the head the same colour as the body.
This species is much less gregarious than most geese, usually occurring in family groups. It breeds on coastal tundra, laying 3-7 eggs in a ground nest.
Breeding birds moult near the breeding colonies, but non-breeders move to St Lawrence Island to moult prior to the main migration to the rocky coastines of the wintering grounds.
The food of this goose is typically composed of shoreline grasses and other coastal plants.
References
- BirdLife International (2006). [Chen canagica]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened
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