Geese on the Pond

 Pretty and pretty messy, geese. The dogs love to chase them.

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"Canada geese are everywhere in Minnesota. From farm fields to golf courses.

Identification

General description: A large goose.
Length: 22 to 40 inches - wingspan is about 5 to 6 feet.
Weight: 2 to 18 pounds.
Color: Light brown with a white chin and a black neck, head, bill and feet.
Sounds: Various "honking" sounds.

Reproduction

Canada geese mate for life, and both parents help raise the young. The mating season runs from March to April, after which eggs are laid. Hatching begins 25 to 30 days later. Baby geese (goslings), which are covered in yellowish down, leave the nest shortly after hatching.

Food

Canada geese eat aquatic plants, insects, grass, soybeans and other crops.

Predators

Mink, raccoons, great-horned owls, fox and dogs.

Habitat and range

Lakes, ponds, marshes and rivers. Many Canada geese stay in Minnesota throughout the winter, although some migrate south to any number of states. They breed statewide, but are most common in the western and southern portions of the state."

- Minnesota DNR