Fauna Series No. 3

Fauna of the National Parks — No. 3 Birds and Mammals of Mount McKinley National Park

Birds

DESCRIPTIONS OF BIRD SPECIES

LESSER SNOW GOOSE
Chen hyperborea hyperborea [PALLAS]

GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A snow-white goose of medium size, with conspicuous black-tipped wings, readily seen in birds that are in flight. Length, 23 inches.

IDENTIFICATION.—The snow-white plumage and black-tipped wings are the best field characters of this species and will distinguish snow geese from other geese.

DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds on the islands and mainland of Arctic North America and migrates through the McKinley region regularly each spring and fall.

HABITS.—Charles Sheldon reported three geese of this species seen on October 11, 1907, migrating south. These geese occur regularly in migration at Wonder Lake, where the Andersons reported their earliest spring arrival at 11 a. m. on May 14, 1927. The same observers reported that the first geese to fly south on the fall migration departed on September 5, 1928, and that again on September 10, a large fleck flew south.

There is no evidence of the species breeding in the McKinley region.

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Last Modified: Thurs, Oct 4 2001 10:00:00 pm PDT
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