Snow Goose

Scientific Name: Chen Caerulescens

Population Estimate: 7.6M

Range / Habitat: Winters in discrete areas throughout the US and Mexico, including a large swath of states along the Mississippi River. Occasional vagrant to Europe. Breeds in Arctic tundra of North America and Siberia.

Field Notes: Medium-sized white goose (though there is a blue morph) with black tail. Nearly identical to smaller Ross's Goose except Snow Goose has green base to bill with a black edge or "smile" to bill. Blue morph similar to Emperor Goose, though the latter has dark neck and white nape.

Personal Notes: We originally saw this bird in captivity at Tracy Aviary, Salt Lake City, Utah (bottom photo). We were later rewarded by seeing one in migration in early April at the Minnesota Zoo (top photo). And, we likely spotted a blue morph in migration with Canadian geese in November along with Mississippi.