Ross's goose

Ross's geese graze more than they dig, clipping short grass and shoots. In winter they mix with snow geese, and a single Ross's goose among Canada geese on a Georgia reservoir is a typical find.

The Ross's goose was once one of the rarest geese in North America, known from a small breeding area in Arctic Canada. It has since increased and spread, and its story shows how quickly a population can change when its winter food supply does.

Its small size and short bill suit it to grazing short grasses, and it can use feeding places too cropped for larger geese.

Nest — A bowl of plants and down, in colonies on Arctic islands
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 21 to 23 days
Goslings — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about 40 to 45 days old
Lifespan — Wild birds over twenty years old are recorded

• A small white goose on a farm pond in winter is worth a second look; it may be a wild Ross's goose rather than a stray domestic bird.
• Like all waterfowl, they are best left unfed.

• It is a young snow goose. Young snow geese are greyish; a white goose this small with a stubby bill is a Ross's goose.

• Snow goose
• Canada goose