Giant Canada Goose Facts

• Giant Canada Geese are native to this area and coexisted in harmony with Native Americans for hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans.

• Sixty years ago Giant Canada Geese were almost extinct in Missouri due to overhunting.

• In 1949 the Missouri Department of Conservation and private citizens began the restoration of the Canada Goose in Missouri.

• The restoration was a success. Giant Canada Geese are back!

• The recent population growth of the Canada Goose in urban areas was unanticipated. Our expanding urban areas provide a plentiful food source, i.e., cut grass, water in lakes, and an absence of natural predators.

• Natural predators of geese are foxes, raccoons, owls, coyotes, and snapping turtles.

• Nesting season is March and April (4-7 eggs).

• Migratory geese visit St. Louis only in winter to avoid severe northern weather conditions. They return north in the spring to raise their young. Migratory geese flight range is 2,000 - 3,000 miles.

• Geese that live in St. Louis all year are called resident geese. These geese were born here and will nest and raise their young here. Resident geese flight range is 100 - 200 miles to find food, water, and safety.

• Recreational feeding is not healthy for the geese and encourages them to congregate where they are not welcome. It's a bad idea.