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Species of Special Concern
Photo courtesy of USFWSStatus
Alaska species of special concern
Description
The Aleutian Canada goose is one of five subspecies of the familiar white-cheeked Canada geese that inhabit Alaska. It is distinguished by its smaller size, abrupt forehead with short bill, and usually by a pronounced ring of white feathers around the base of the neck.
Habitats and Habits
The Aleutian Canada Goose is thought to have historically nested on maritime islands from the Alaska Peninsula, westward along the Aleutian Chain, to the Commander and Kuril islands of Asia. The geese nest on treeless islands in areas densely vegetated by grasses, sedges, and ferns, often where there is no source of fresh water.
Populations are said to have wintered from British Columbia to northern Mexico, and in Japan. The geese currently use pastures and grain fields along the coasts of Oregon and northern California, and in California's Central Valley. It is presumed that the geese migrate between the Aleutian Islands and wintering grounds in Oregon and California by flying non-stop over the North Pacific Ocean, a distance of nearly 2,000 miles.
Causes of Decline
The Aleutian Canada goose declined early in this century following the introduction of arctic foxes for fur farming to most of their nesting islands. The ground-nesting geese had no natural defenses against these imported predators, and fewer than 800 geese survived on only three islands in the Aleutian and Semidi islands where foxes were never introduced. These geese were listed as endangered in 1967.
Range of the Aleutian Canada
GooseResearch and Recovery
Since the formal recovery program began in mid-1970s, a main recovery objective has been to reestablish Aleutian Canada geese on their former nesting islands. Geese have been captured at Buldir Island in the western Aleutians and moved to other islands following the eradication of introduced foxes.
On the wintering grounds, the population is monitored by biologists who record sightings of banded geese, analyze habitat characteristics, and estimate the population size. Sport hunting for Aleutian Canada geese is prohibited, and areas traditionally used by this subspecies have been closed to the hunting of all Canada geese to prevent loss through misidentification by hunters.
By 1990, the Aleutian Canada Goose population had recovered sufficiently to be reclassified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from endangered" to the less-critical "threatened" status. In recognition of their recovery, the state of Alaska downlisted this species from endangered to a species of special concern. Today the population numbers approximately 15,000 birds, which nest on eight islands.
Text: Brian Anderson
For Additional Information
Please contact:
Doug Vincent-Lang
(907) 267-2339
