Snow Goose

General Description

A large goose, the Snow Goose occurs in a white or a dark morph. The white morph, the most common, is all white with black primaries. The dark morph, known as the Blue Goose, is extremely rare in Washington and has a dark gray body and white head. Both morphs have orange legs. Juveniles are gray overall with dark legs. The Snow Goose is similar in appearance to the smaller and far less common Ross' Goose, but the Snow Goose has a 'grin-patch' (a dark patch on the side of the beak that makes it appear to be open or grinning) that the Ross' Goose lacks. There are two subspecies of Snow Goose, the Greater and the Lesser Snow Geese, which vary in size.

Snow Geese are Common in North Western Washington and Uncommon Southern from October-April.

Habitat

Snow Geese nest colonially in the Arctic tundra within five miles of the coast. Greater Snow Geese tend to nest in higher, drier areas than Lesser Snow Geese. During migration and in winter, they inhabit coastal and freshwater marshes, estuaries, and agricultural lands, with Greater Snow Geese more likely to be in saltwater habitats than Lessers.

Behavior

Flocks are especially large in winter and during migration. Snow Geese forage mostly by walking in shallow water or on land, usually in flocks that may include other geese. They rip vegetation from the ground and can cause damage to areas where there are large numbers of geese.

Juvenile 

Adult