All birds/Anatidae/Snow Goose
AI reconstruction of Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)
Verified source photographCricket RaspetCC-BY · View source
PRB-0005Anseriformes

Snow Goose

Ganso Blanco

Anser caerulescens

Accidental / vagrantIUCN LC · Least Concern

The snow goose (Anser caerulescens) is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed in the genus Chen, but is now typically included in the "gray goose" genus Anser. Snow geese breed north of the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and spend winters in warm parts of North America from southwestern British Columbia through parts of the United States to Mexico.

FamilyAnatidaeDucks, Geese, and Waterfowl
Puerto Rico occurrenceAccidental / vagrantAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatgrasslandsGrassland
Primary dietPlantHerbivore terrestrial
Average mass2561 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementMigratoryTerrestrial

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC1051614Recording 1 of 3call, alarm call, flight call
Spectrogram of Snow Goose: call, alarm call, flight call
SpectrogramAnser caerulescens

Play: call, alarm call, flight call by Denis Provencher

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Sound recorded by Denis Provencher · XC1051614 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Snow Goose

The snow goose (Anser caerulescens) is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed in the genus Chen, but is now typically included in the "gray goose" genus Anser. Snow geese breed north of the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and spend winters in warm parts of North America from southwestern British Columbia through parts of the United States to Mexico.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
grasslands
Elevation
0–2500 m
Nest
Scrape · Ground
Clutch
2–6 eggs
Social behavior
Colonial; Social / flocking; Pairs / family groups; Singly and pairs

Keep exploring

This bird belongs to 6 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading