Canada Goose - Branta canadensis

Description

A large goose, with a distinctive black head and neck and large white throat patch.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

A familiar goose seen around lakes, gravel pits and town parks.

When to see it

All year round. In winter, occasional birds of small races are seen with other wild geese species in Northern Ireland and Western Scotland, and may be vagrant wild birds.

Life History

An introduced species from North America, it has successfully spread to cover most of the UK. It forms noisy flocks and is often regarded as a nuisance in areas where large numbers occur on amenity grassland and parks.

UK Status

Widespread and common in Britain

VC55 Status

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland, and fairly common as a breeding bird in the area.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Greater Canada Goose, Canada Goose
Species group:
Birds
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Anseriformes
Family:
Anatidae
Records on NatureSpot:
2196
First record:
20/03/1994 (Ian Retson)
Last record:
07/02/2025 (Jones, Dick)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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