Canada Goose

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Canada Goose, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WCA(II,IX), WBD(II*)Bern(III), Bonn(II)

Canada Geese were first introduced to English parkland around 1665 but have expanded hugely in range and numbers following translocations in the 1950s and 1960s. They increased rapidly, at a rate estimated at 9.3% per annum in Britain between the 1988-91 Atlas period and 2000, with no sign of any slowing in the rate of increase (Austin et al. 2007). Most of this increase, amounting to 166% during that decade alone, has been in areas previously with low goose densities. The WBS sample became large enough for annual monitoring in 1980, and shows that increases continued up to around 2012. Annual breeding-season monitoring in a wider range of habitats through BBS has shown similar strong increases in England and in the UK as a whole but also shows significant reversals over the last ten years. Winter monitoring shows a strong long-term increase, but a more shallow increase since about 2001 (WeBS: Frost et al. 2020). In Scotland, the population has increased from 119-194 in 1953, to 1,244 in 2000 and to a tentative figure of 3,000+ in 2015 (Bainbridge 2017). Expanding populations of geese, including non-native Canada Geese, are creating a number of economic, social and environmental challenges and, increasingly, adaptive policies are required to manage invasive goose populations in order to minimise and mitigate economic and environmental impacts (e.g. Reyns et al. 2018).

UK breeding population	+128% increase (1995–2022)
UK winter population	+73% increase (1996/97–2021/22)

The introduced Canada Goose can be found on a wide range of waterbodies throughout much of Britain, and locally in Ireland. It is rather sedentary in nature and as a result there are strong similarities in distribution and abundance patterns between winter and the breeding season. The species is widespread through England and Wales, being commonest through a broad band from southeast England to the Irish Sea and parts of northeast England.

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Occupied 10-km squares in UK

No. occupied in breeding season	1808
% occupied in breeding season	60
No. occupied in winter	1716
% occupied in winter	57

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Breeding Season Habitats

Most frequent in	Lakes
Also common in	Ponds

As populations have increased, the range has expanded westwards into Wales and southwest England, and northwards through eastern and northern England and central Scotland through to Argyllshire.

Canada Geese are year-round residents, recorded on up to 20% of lists.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing	31 years 10 months 29 days (set in 2007)
Typical Lifespan	6 years with breeding typically at 3 year
Adult Survival	0.724±0.006
Juvenile Survival	0.759 (in first year)

Wing Length	Adults	518.7±33.4 | Range 457–555mm, N=56
	Males	541±20.5 | Range 498–555mm, N=24
	Females	505.7±15.4 | Range 465–515mm, N=25

Body Weight	Adults	3.96±0.56 | Range 3.20–4.85kg, N=2917
	Juveniles	2.90±0.5 | Range 2.00–3.55kg, N=26
	Males	4.27±0.5 | Range 3.60–4.95kg, N=1126
	Females	3.67±0.45 | Range 3.05–4.40kg, N=1217

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	L*
Field Codes	2-letter: CG | 5-letter code: CANGO | Euring: 1660

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

There is little good evidence available regarding the drivers of the breeding population increase in this species in the UK. However, the initial rapid increases following introduction may have been aided by lack of intraspecific competition and the ability of this species to exploit a previously unoccupied habitat, before density-dependent effects began to occur.

Further information on causes of change

No further information is available

Information about conservation actions

As a non-native introduced breeding species, Canada Goose does not have a conservation status in the UK.

Following the increases, local and national conservation action and policies may instead be required to manage goose populations in order to minimise and mitigate economic and environmental impacts (Reyns et al. 2018). This could include policies such as culling and treating or pricking eggs to reduce breeding productivity. A Dutch study found that culling adult birds was more effective than egg pricking in reducing numbers of non-native Greylag Goose (van Turnhout et al. 2010); however culling as a means of control can be controversial (Shirley 2010); Frith 2010).