Lori Snider, age 13, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, for her question:
What is the life story of the Canada goose?
Most Canada geese belong to Canada, though they may visit the United States for extended winter vacations. In fall, these beauteous birds fly south in V formations, honking as they go. In early spring, the family flocks fly back north honking all the way. During the summer they nest by streams, lakes and marshes and come fall the teenagers are ready to migrate south for the winter.
The average Canada goose, alias the honker, weighs nine pounds or more, though the female is slightly smaller. There are several smaller subspecies and some of these nest farther south. But all the species and subspecies wear the same markings. So let's zoom in on the big one.
Chances are, he was born near quiet water in the unspoiled regions of Canada. There the lovely summer days are long and all sorts of vegetation thrives under the sunny blue skies. In addition to this nourishing greenery, favorite goose food includes a plentiful supply of grasshoppers and other insects.
The nest is a raised hump, perhaps in a marshy meadow or beside a reedy stream. There are four to ten large pale eggs and the patient mother sits on them through 28 days. Meantime, the faithful father stands guard and woe betide a hungry fox who dares to approach his precious family. At last, the eggs crack open and our favorite gosling comes forth to conquer the world along with a troupe of sassy brothers and sisters.
After his furry baby feathers dry in the sun, our gosling is a ball of golden fluff, with dusky brown smudges on his back and wings plus a dusty brown smudge on his baby head. He is ready to walk around and before the sun gets, the whole family waddles off to the water for a swim.
The devoted parents help the goslings to explore their world and also educate them to find food in and out of the water. The goslings learn to recognize their parents among the numerous nesting families in the neighborhood. Late summer brings a problem period, for the teenagers have not developed their flight feathers and the parents are molting theirs.
So for a while, neither the old nor the young birds can fly. But Canada geese are wily old birds, famous for their intelligence. They use this risky period to teach their youngsters deep diving and various other tricks to escape their enemies.
Come fall, our hero is a handsome adult, ready to migrate south with a honk honk honk. His plumage is a blend of soft browns, darker above and creamy pale below. The blended browns are set off with a black neck and head, with an eye catching white band that looks like a very wide chin strap. His legs and his big webbed feet are black. Next spring the trusty poppa goose will fly with his family and friends in those V formations of honkers, back to their Canadian nesting grounds.