Family:
Ross’s goose is a small goose with a stocky body, short neck, and stubby, triangular bill. It is like the snow goose but is much smaller and has a more rounded head. It has white plumage overall with black wingtips. The bill is pink with a paler tip and a warty area around the base. It lacks the broad black edges of the bill, known as the ‘grin patch’ as seen in the snow goose. The legs and feet are pink. Males and females are similar, but the female is slightly smaller.
A very rare blue morph has a dark body and wings, and a white face. However, suspected blue morphs are often hybridizations with snow geese. This can be confirmed by looking for hybrid characteristics such as a black grin patch and curved bill.
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Ross’s geese eat grass, sedges, and grain in particular wheat and barley during the winter. Large colonies can cause damage to crops and plants from overgrazing.
Ross’s geese in coastal areas of northern Canada and the northern United States. It moves south for the winter to California and the Gulf Cost where it can be found in salt and freshwater marshes.
