Comparisons of body reserve buildup and use in several groups of Canada geese

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1765-1772 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Mainguy ◽  
V. G. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Egg Laying ◽  
Branta Canadensis ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
James Bay ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Body Tissues ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Branta Canadensis Interior ◽  
Flight Muscles

Changes in proximate body composition were analyzed in nonmigratory giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) from Toronto, Ont. (43°37′N, 79°20′W), collected during early and late egg laying in 1980 and 1981, and during incubation and moult in 1981. Early nesting geese had more fat, though not more protein, than late nesting birds in both years. Geese collected in 1981 had more fat and protein than geese collected in 1980. Early and late laying females in both years lost on average 198 g (26%) of fat and 34 g (5%) of protein from the beginning to the end of laying. Fifty-eight percent of the fat reserves possessed at the beginning of laying were lost during incubation. Fat reserves of prelaying Branta canadensis interior nesting on the James Bay lowland (53°15′N, 82°09′W) in 1980 were 9% greater than those of B. c. maxima nesting in Southern Ontario. During the moult at Toronto, Canada geese lost weight from flight muscles while gaining weight in other muscles and in fat. This pattern is seen in waterfowl moulting at several latitudes, and indicates that geese moulting in both southern and northern latitudes probably rely on nutrients in food rather than in body tissues to supply growing feathers.

A study of Canada geese, Branta canadensis, nesting on islands in southeastern Alberta

1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kees Vermeer
Keyword(s):  
Egg Laying ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Branta Canadensis ◽  
Canada Goose ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
Uniform Spacing ◽  
Incubation Periods

Canada goose clutches situated on islands in Dowling Lake and Lake Newell, Alberta, were checked from laying to hatching. Egg-laying intervals averaged 1.87 days and incubation periods 26.8 days. The distribution of nests showed a significant deviation from randomness in the direction of uniform spacing. Causes of extensive hatching failure at Dowling Lake were predation and desertion. Predation by coyotes was facilitated by low water levels. A preference for nesting on islands appears to be a mechanism to counteract mammalian predation.

The development and pathogenesis of Leucocytozoon simondi in Canada and domestic geese in Algonquin Park, Ontario

1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherwin S. Desser ◽  
Andrée K. Ryckman
Keyword(s):  
Red Blood Cells ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Primary Infection ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Peripheral Circulation ◽  
Branta Canadensis ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
Severe Anemia ◽  
Branta Canadensis Interior

The development of Leucocytozoon simondi was studied in naturally and experimentally infected Branta canadensis maxima, Branta canadensis interior, and Anser domesticus. The number of mature round gametocytes in the peripheral blood of the Canada geese increased between days 9 and 15 post exposure (PE) and decreased rapidly thereafter. Mean peak parasitemias recorded on day 13 PE were (per 1000 red blood cells (RBC)): 8 gametocytes in B.c. maxima, 16 gametocytes in B.c. interior, and 17 gametocytes in A. domesticus. About 3 weeks PE, gametocytes disappeared from the peripheral circulation and were not observed again during the autumn, winter, and spring in birds kept in the laboratory.Haematocrit determinations in the Canada geese revealed a low fluctuating anemia during the primary infection which subsided by day 21 PE. A more severe anemia was recorded in A. domesticus with a mean low packed RBC value of about 18% on day 11 PE. Immature and mature hepatic schizonts were observed in the Canada and domestic geese between days 3 and 8 PE. Neither megaloschizonts nor elongate gametocytes were seen. Clinical signs, pathology, and mortality commonly associated with L. simondi infection in ducks were not observed. Hypotheses are advanced to explain reports of severe pathogenesis associated with L. simondi infections in Canada geese in other localities.

scholarly journals Breeding and Non-Breeding Range of Canada, Branta canadensis, and Cackling Geese, Branta hutchinsii, in the Eastern Canadian Arctic

2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 483
Author(s):  
Mark L. Mallory ◽  
Alain J. Fontaine ◽  
Hugh Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Branta Canadensis ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
Baffin Island ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Branta Canadensis Interior ◽  
Cackling Geese ◽  
Distributional Knowledge ◽  
Eastern Canadian Arctic

The accepted breeding distribution of Canada Geese from the Atlantic Population (Branta canadensis interior) in the eastern Canadian Arctic is currently confined to northern Québec and the south coast of Baffin Island. Here we provide evidence based on observations from scientific studies, Inuit hunters, and territorial Wildlife Officers that B. c. interior now breeds in growing numbers 500 km farther north on northeastern Baffin Island than previously reported. Cackling Geese (B. hutchinsii), which breed more widely across eastern Arctic Canada, to about 72°N, may also be increasing there. Moreover, individuals of both species are seen occasionally as far north as Ellesmere Island in small flocks and within migrating or moulting flocks of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) or Brant (B. bernicla hrota), though none of these far northern stragglers are known to have bred. Whether these observations reflect a recent range expansion or improved distributional knowledge from more intensive recent survey efforts remains unknown.

Epidemiology ofCampylobacter, Salmonellaand antimicrobial resistantEscherichia coliin free-living Canada geese (Branta canadensis) from three sources in southern Ontario

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 873-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine A. Vogt ◽  
David L. Pearl ◽  
Eduardo N. Taboada ◽  
Steven K. Mutschall ◽  
Nicol Janecko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Branta Canadensis ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Southern Ontario

scholarly journals Feeding Ecology of Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis Interior) in Sub-Arctic Inland Tundra During Brood-Rearing

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Christine Cadieux ◽  
Gilles Gauthier ◽  
R. John Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Branta Canadensis ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Branta Canadensis Interior ◽  
Sedge Meadows

AbstractThe diet of adult Canada Geese (Branta canadensis interior) and their goslings was determined during the brood-rearing season in a freshwater tundra habitat using esophageal contents from 25 adult females, 27 adult males, and 59 goslings. Habitat use by geese and the availability and quality of aboveground biomass in wet sedge meadows and around ponds in lichen-heath tundra were also evaluated throughout the summer. During the first four weeks of brood-rearing, adult Canada Geese ate primarily graminoids (>65%), especially leaves of the short form of Carex aquatilis and Eriophorum spp., which had the highest nitrogen concentration (2.5–3.5%). Although graminoids were also important for goslings, they consumed a greater variety of other plant species (68%) than adults, especially in the first two weeks, possibly because of their inexperience. Late in the brood-rearing period, as the nitrogen concentration of graminoid plants declined, adults shifted to a diet composed mainly of berries (>40%, mostly Empetrum nigrum). At that time, goslings consumed fewer berries (24%) and maintained a higher proportion of nitrogen-rich plants in their diet (53% leaves, mostly graminoids) than adults, presumably to complete their growth. Plant species consumed by geese over the summer indicated a preference for high-quality plants (i.e. those with a high nitrogen concentration). Consequently, wet sedge meadow, the habitat that offered plant species of highest quality, was the habitat most heavily used throughout the summer, particularly around peak hatch. Goose grazing had no effect on seasonal production of aboveground biomass of graminoids, probably because of the relatively low density of the goose population.Écologie alimentaire de Branta canadensis interior pendant la période d’élevage des jeunes dans un milieu d’eau douce sub-arctique

Relationships among egg size, energy reserves, growth rate, and fasting resistance of Canada Goose goslings from southern Ontario

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 957-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. G. Thomas ◽  
H. C. Peach Brown
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
Apparent Survival ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Body Tissues ◽  
Nutrient Reserve ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Nutrient Reserves

Eggs of wild giant Canada Geese (Branta canadensis maxima) breeding in southern Ontario were collected and incubated artificially. Components of the total nutrient reserve of goslings were measured at hatch to test whether relationships existed between egg size, gosling weight, and weight of reserves in goslings. The growth rate of fed goslings of different weights at hatch was measured for 25 days. The nutrient reserves remaining in goslings of different hatch weights were measured after 2, 4, and 6 days of starvation. Egg size and gosling weight were not highly correlated in this population (r = 0.63). Larger goslings generally contained more reserves than small goslings (P < 0.05), but much variability occurred in this relationship. Gain in weight over 25 days was not related to the weight at hatch. Starved goslings with higher body fat levels had significantly higher dry carcass weights than goslings with low body fat levels (P < 0.01), suggesting a sparing action of fat on body tissues. The apparent survival of small goslings and goslings with small reserves, combined with the great variability in egg size, gosling weight, and extent of metabolic reserves, suggests relaxed selection in the southern Ontario environment where this population breeds.

Autumn Migration of Waders (Charadrii) at the Reda Mouth (N Poland)

Ring ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Włodzimierz Meissner ◽  
Anna Włodarczak-Komosińska ◽  
Dariusz Górecki ◽  
Cezary Wójcik ◽  
Mateusz Ściborski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Migration Pattern ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Autumn Migration ◽  
Tundra Zone ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Calidris Alpina ◽  
Mouth Region ◽  
Baltic Coast ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Vanellus Vanellus

Autumn Migration of Waders (Charadrii) at the Reda Mouth (N Poland) The migration of waders was investigated at the Reda mouth (Polish Baltic coast) between 1996 and 2001. During the study 496 counts were conducted in the period between 5 July and 5 October. The most numerous species observed were: the Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) - 39.5% and Dunlin (Calidris alpina) - 29.8% of all waders. Because of a variety of habitats in the Reda mouth region, among the waders staging numerously in the Reda mouth there were species typical both for coastal and inland habitat. It was shown that birds from tundra zone migrated later than those from more southern breeding areas, which was caused by much later beginning of egg laying in northern latitudes. Moreover, in the species from tundra zone, e.g. the Knot (Calidris canutus), Little Stint (C. minuta), Curlew Sandpiper (C. ferruginea), the migration of both age classes were well separated, whereas in those from more southern areas, e.g. the Little Ringed Plover (Charadius dubius), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), such difference was less pronounced and the period of common passage of adults and juveniles was much longer. A comparison of the obtained data on migration pattern with some other sites in Poland where regular counts were conducted showed several similarities and some discrepancies, which are discussed in the paper.

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