Emperor goose
| Emperor goose | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Anserinae |
| Tribe: | Anserini |
| Genus: | Chen |
| Species: | C. canagica |
| Binomial name | |
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Chen canagica (Sevastianov, 1802) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Anser canagicus |
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Anser canagicus
Philacte canagica
The emperor goose (Chen canagica) is a species of goose. It breeds around the Bering Sea, mostly in Alaska, United States, but also in Kamchatka, Russia. It is migratory, wintering mainly in the Aleutian Islands. The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
The American Ornithologists' Union places this species and the North American "white" geese in the genus Chen, rather than the more traditional "gray" goose genus Anser.
This goose has a stout gray body, subtly barred with fine barring, and a white head and hindneck, often stained orange from iron-rich waters. Unlike the blue-morph snow goose, the white does not extend onto the front of the neck. The sexes are similar, but immatures have the head the same color as the body.
This species is much less gregarious than most geese, usually occurring in family groups. It breeds on coastal tundra, laying 3–7 eggs in a ground nest.
Breeding birds molt near the breeding colonies, but non-breeders move to St. Lawrence Island to molt prior to the main migration to the rocky coastlines of the wintering grounds.
The food of this goose is typically composed of shoreline grasses and other coastal plants.
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