Life List 032
Visually documented
Snow Goose
Anser caerulescens
- First photographed
- January 31, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
An evolving study
Snow Goose portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Anser caerulescens
Overview
The Snow Goose is a strongly migratory Arctic goose that can form immense, noisy flocks during migration and winter. White and dark blue color morphs occur within the same species.
Identification
White-morph adults are mostly white with black wingtips; blue-morph adults have a white head and dark slate body. Both have a pink bill with a dark curved grin patch and pink legs; juveniles are duller.
Range
Breeds in colonies across Arctic North America and Greenland. Major populations winter along the Pacific, Gulf, and Atlantic coasts, in California's Central Valley, and in interior agricultural regions of the United States and Mexico.
Habitat
Arctic tundra near wetlands when breeding; marshes, shallow lakes, estuaries, grasslands, and agricultural fields during migration and winter.
Diet
Grasses, sedges, roots, tubers, seeds, and waste grain obtained by grazing, grubbing, and dabbling.
Photography by Brittany Templin
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