Geese

Canada geese are among the few species of birds that form strong family groups. This family band starts with males and females who mate for life. Their goslings hatch in early spring and weigh about 1/4 pound. After they hatch, the parents stay with the goslings and watch over them for 8 weeks. During that time the goslings will eat nearly everything in sight, some growing to weigh as much as 7 pounds. Canada geese and first year goslings migrate south together in the winter and then travel back together the next spring to their original northern nesting grounds. Finally, one year after their birth, the young geese separate from their parents.

Every fall, hordes of snow geese fill the skies over western Iowa's Loess Hills on their annual trip from arctic nesting grounds to warmer southern sites. Every spring, they are back again. All snow geese have black wing tips, which is a good identification mark. However, some are as white as snow while others are bluish-gray. They are mostly herbivores, feeding on grasses, water plants, and waste grain. During migration, snow geese fly as high as 20,000 feet at 50 mph in V-formations that help reduce wind drag.