Guest Author - Lisa Shea
Canadian Geese can be VERY territorial and aggressive. Sure, you can feed them like you feed ducks, but unlike ducks, canadian geese are large and can snap and hiss to keep you away.
Visitor Question
I was at the lagoon with my boyfriend today watching the geese since they always seem to be there. Well, while we were watching, I wanted to know some things about how they behave towards each other. I noticed that they were playing around or scaring off others by lowering their head and running towards the other goose. I was just wondering what exactly that means and why they lower their head. There was a main goose there as well and all he did was stay in one place and seemed to flap his wings a lot and stick out his enormous chest. I was just wondering what all this behavior means. I also read that they are very people friendly, but I wouldn't want to mess with one! Well, I know this was kind of vague and didn't ask too many specific questions...but I just was wondering about this.
My Answer
I'm not sure where you read that Canadian Geese are people friendly - they are VERY territorial and can be quite agressive :) Sure, you can feed some of them, just like you can feed ducks. But unlike ducks or chickadees or other wild birds that you feed, canadian geese are on the large side and will defend their territory quite fiercely :)
That's exactly what you were seeing in the lagoon. Finding a safe territory to live is literally a life or death situation for geese. If they can't find a safe place to build a nest, they can be eaten by predators and their babies can be eaten. So they find a spot they like and then they actively attack other geese to keep them away. Whoever is the strongest and nastiest ends up getting to stay and live there.
Geese don't have guns and knives. So they fight using the weapons they have - their powerful wings and their strong beaks. They can cause serious harm by whacking another bird (or person) with their wings. They can cause even worse harm by bashing someone with their beak. A geese who is meek and mild ends up being driven away from any spot they want to live in - and therefore ends up somewhere dangerous (like a parking lot) where they get run over and killed. So in nature, it's the smart and strong and territorially fierce who survive.
Information on the Canadian Goose
Food for a Canadian Goose
Birds that Mate for Life
The V Formation of Bird Migration
Where Do Canadian Geese Migrate?
