Bird
Bird
Snow Goose
Anser caerulescens
The Snow Goose is a rare, far-flung winter visitor to Trinidad, breeding on Arctic tundra thousands of kilometres to the north and only occasionally straying so far south during migration.
The Snow Goose is a rare, far-flung winter visitor to Trinidad, breeding on Arctic tundra thousands of kilometres to the north and only occasionally straying so far south during migration.
Identification
A medium-large goose around 65 to 75 cm long, with brilliant white plumage overall, black wingtips visible in flight, and a pink bill with a dark "grin patch" along the cutting edge. A darker "blue morph," greyish-brown with a white head, also occurs in the same populations.
Migration
Breeds on Arctic tundra in Canada and winters mainly in the central and southern United States and Mexico; occurrence in Trinidad represents a rare southward straggler well beyond the species' typical wintering range. It is essentially absent from Trinidad in most years.
Status in T&T
A rare vagrant to Trinidad, recorded only occasionally during the northern winter. Not considered threatened at a global level, and it is protected as a migratory species under the Conservation of Wildlife Act on the rare occasions it occurs.
