# Canada goose (*Branta canadensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/canada-goose  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The canada goose (Branta canadensis), also called the Greater Canada goose, is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a medium-sized, migratory, terrestrial herbivore of grassland, with an adult body mass of 2.8 kg (up to 5 kg) and a wingspan of 1.69 m. It lays one clutch per year of 5.15 eggs, which are incubated for 28 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 2 years. Its lifespan is given as 27.4 years, with values up to 42 years, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.81 kg – 5 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1.69 m |
| Lifespan | 27.4 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 42 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Egg incubation | 28 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.15 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Branta
- species: *Branta canadensis* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Anser canadensis*, *Branta canadensis akimiskiae*, *Branta canadensis albertae*, *Branta canadensis andersoni*, *Branta canadensis anticostiae*, *Branta canadensis assiniboineae*, *Branta canadensis athabascae*, *Branta canadensis auduboni*, *Branta canadensis bartletti*, *Branta canadensis basinensis*, *Branta canadensis belcheri*, *Branta canadensis blancheti*, *Branta canadensis bostocki*, *Branta canadensis brevirostra*, *Branta canadensis bridgeri*, *Branta canadensis brunnescens*, *Branta canadensis californica*, *Branta canadensis charltonensis*, *Branta canadensis chipewyanensis*, *Branta canadensis churchillensis*, *Branta canadensis clarki*, *Branta canadensis columbiana*, *Branta canadensis costalama*, *Branta canadensis creeorum*, *Branta canadensis curriei*, *Branta canadensis dawsoni*, *Branta canadensis deltensis*, *Branta canadensis eirikssoni*, *Branta canadensis fidleri*, *Branta canadensis grinnelli*, *Branta canadensis haydeni*, *Branta canadensis hendayi*, *Branta canadensis hoodi*, *Branta canadensis hudsonica*, *Branta canadensis hunti*, *Branta canadensis hustichi*, *Branta canadensis idahoensis*, *Branta canadensis ingstadi*, *Branta canadensis jamesi*, *Branta canadensis jeffersoni*, *Branta canadensis kazanensis*, *Branta canadensis kelseyi*, *Branta canadensis kinojeae*, *Branta canadensis labradorensis*, *Branta canadensis lahontanensis*, *Branta canadensis lakotae*, *Branta canadensis lewisi*, *Branta canadensis lumsdeni*, *Branta canadensis manitobensis*, *Branta canadensis maritima*, *Branta canadensis nevadensis*, *Branta canadensis okanaganensis*, *Branta canadensis ontarioensis*, *Branta canadensis oregonensis*, *Branta canadensis pendoreillensis*, *Branta canadensis pondi*, *Branta canadensis powelli*, *Branta canadensis preblei*, *Branta canadensis presti*, *Branta canadensis pugetensis*, *Branta canadensis roosevelti*, *Branta canadensis salmonensis*, *Branta canadensis saskatchewanensis*, *Branta canadensis selwyni*, *Branta canadensis siksikorum*, *Branta canadensis soperi*, *Branta canadensis subarctica*, *Branta canadensis suttoni*, *Branta canadensis tanneri*, *Branta canadensis tetonensis*, *Branta canadensis washingtonensis*, *Branta canadensis wisei*, *Branta canadensis yakimensis*, *Branta canadensis yukonensis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the canada goose?

The canada goose is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, part of the family Anatidae and the order Anseriformes.

### How heavy is a canada goose?

An adult Canada goose weighs 2.8 kg, with values up to 5 kg reported. Its wingspan is 1.69 m.

### What does the canada goose eat?

The canada goose is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the canada goose live in?

The canada goose lives in grassland and is a terrestrial, migratory bird.

### Is the canada goose endangered?

No. The canada goose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a canada goose live?

The lifespan of the canada goose is given as 27.4 years, with values up to 42 years reported.

### How many eggs does a canada goose lay?

The canada goose lays 5.15 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 28 days.

### Who named the canada goose?

The canada goose, Branta canadensis, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Canada goose (Branta canadensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/canada-goose