Canada Goose: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Ducks, Geese and Grebes · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. Calls overhead from Canada geese flying in a V-shape signal the change to spring and autumn.
2. Goslings can walk, swim and find their own food as soon as they hatch.
3. Adults lose their flight feathers for 20 to 40 days each summer, and fly again about when their goslings start to fly.
4. Males give a honk. Females give a hrink, which is shorter and higher pitched.
5. The giant Canada goose was thought extinct in the 1950s, until a small flock was found wintering in Minnesota in 1962.

The quiz

1. What shape do Canada geese often fly in?

• A V (correct)
• A circle
• A single line
• A square

Large groups fly in a V-shaped formation.

2. What can goslings do as soon as they hatch?

• Fly short distances
• Walk, swim and find food (correct)
• Dive underwater
• Only sit in the nest

From the moment they hatch, goslings can walk, swim and feed themselves.

3. For how long do adults lose their flight feathers each summer?

• 2 to 4 days
• 2 to 4 months
• 20 to 40 days (correct)
• About a year

Adults lose their flight feathers for 20 to 40 days.

4. What is the female Canada goose's call named?

• Honk
• Cackle
• Whistle
• Hrink (correct)

The hrink is the female's call, shorter and higher pitched than the male's honk.

5. When was the giant Canada goose rediscovered?

• 1926
• 1962 (correct)
• 1950
• 1996

A small flock was found wintering in Minnesota in 1962.

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