Conservation & Ecology


There’s no denying that Canada geese are handsome birds, or that their goslings have the aaah factor, but they are now considered a pest in the UK and, as such, may be culled with the appropriate licence. But just what does this bird get up to that so annoys humans and how can they be controlled?


W


riting in the Daily Mail back in 2008, columnist Robert Hardman wrote; “Should there ever be a prize for Britain’s most hated bird,


then, surely, it would go to the Canada goose. If Canada geese were human, they would be lounging around all day doing nothing, claiming every welfare benefit in the book, driving their neighbours out of town and notching up ASBOs around the clock.” So, a fairly typical ‘Mail’ editorial then, but


not far off the truth, if we indeed need to put a human slant on this rather obnoxious member of the goose family. As its name implies, it is a North American


species that has found its way across to Europe either via introduction or migration. Whilst the North American variety tends to continue to migrate (as do most other species of geese), European Canada geese are generally happy with their lot and stay put, pooing for a pastime and with amazing regularity. Similarly, the species was introduced into


New Zealand where they are now considered a pest, to the point where the Government removed their protected species status in 2011, allowing anyone to kill them. Canada geese are one of the largest of all


geese. There are considered to be seven sub species - Atlantic, Interior, Giant, Moffit’s Vancouver, Lesser and Dusky - although their habit of mating with anything resembling a goose can sometimes make for difficult classification. That said, they are monogamous and all true sub species are instantly recognisable for their black neck and head with striking white cheeks, dark brown back, light brown breast and a white rump. They are noisy, gregarious birds that


always live near water and, therefore, can often be found around ornamental ponds, lakes and water features on golf courses and in amenity parks. Whilst they are herbivorous grazers, with grass and aquatic plants being their natural food source, they will eat almost anything, including ice cream,


chocolate, chips or anything else that is ‘to hand’. Manicured lawns are a particular favourite, perhaps because of the richness of the grass plant. The practice of hounding humans for food is perhaps their most annoying trait (other than pooing) and their aggressive nature can be quite frightening, especially for young children. The largest of the sub species has a wing


span of close to two metres (185cm/73”), but even the smaller varieties have a wing span of 130cm (51”). Average weight is 4kg (over half a stone), so they are fearsome adversaries. Numbers have quadrupled in the past fifty


years, and the RSPB report 62,000 breeding pairs, with numbers swelling to 190,000 due to the influx of over-wintering visitors. Compare that to the similar sized Mute swan


with c7,000 breeding pairs. As their numbers have risen so their


habitat has changed, and it is now common to see these birds in car parks, industrial estates and other urban areas, and they are happy to nest anywhere that is raised off the ground a short height, such as pallets, bricks, rockeries etc. Canada geese have one brood a year,


averaging five, but often double that. The incubation period, in which the female sits on the eggs whilst the male remains nearby, lasts for up to twenty-eight days after laying. The offspring enter the fledgling stage at any time from six to nine weeks of age. The annual summer moult also takes place during the breeding season; the adults losing their flight feathers for up to forty days and regaining their flight at about the same time as their goslings begin to fly.


PC APRIL/MAY 2016 I 103


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