Chen caerulescens

Description

Snow geese have two color morphs. The white morph is white with an offwhite head and black and white wings. The blue morph is mostly dark gray with a white head and belly and white underwings. Both color morphs have a large black "grin patch" on the side of their bills.

Voice

The call of a snow goose is "whouk" or "heenk" and many geese are usually calling at once.

Breeding

May to July

Habitat

Snow geese live in marshes, fields, ponds, and bays. They live on grassy tundra in the summer.

Diet

These geese eat marshy vegetation and grains.

Range

Snow geese spend their summers in the North American Arctic and their winters along the Gulf of Mexico. They pass through VT and NH while migrating.

Other Useful Information

At one time, ornithologists (people who study birds) considered the blue color morph as an entirely different species from the white color morph. They called the blue morph the blue goose and the white morph the snow goose. Now, they are one species with two color morphs.

Similar Species

Ross's goose is almost identical to the snow goose, but it is not found in VT or NH.