Snow goose
Anser caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758)
The snow goose (Anser caerulescens), also called the blue 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 2.6 kg and a wingspan of 1.49 m.
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Quick facts about the snow goose
It lays one clutch per year of 4.5 eggs, incubates them for 23.6 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 2 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the snow goose as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 2.5 kg – 2.74 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 1.32 m – 1.65 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 26.6 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 27.5 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- grasslandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 23.6 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.2 – 4.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the snow goose?
Photos of the snow goose
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the snow goose live?
Not recorded
What is the snow goose?
The snow goose (Anser caerulescens) is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed in the genus Chen, but is now typically included in the "gray goose" genus Anser.
Snow geese breed north of the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and spend winters in warm parts of North America from southwestern British Columbia through parts of the United States to Mexico.
From the Wikipedia article “Snow goose” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Snow_goose&oldid=1382145234), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the snow goose sound like?
Is the snow goose endangered?
The snow goose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the snow goose classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusAnser
- SpeciesAnser caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Anas borealis, Anas coerulescens, Anas hyperborus, Anser albatus, Anser caerulescens, Anser caerulescens hyperboreus, Anser hyperbo, Anser hyperboreus, Chen caerulescens, Chen hyperboreus
Other names and names in other languages (46)
- Blue gooseEnglish
- gansu la ñeveAsturian
- Снежна гъскаBulgarian
- Gwaz-erc’hegiBreton
- oca de les neusCatalan
- husa sněžníCzech
- Gwydd yr EiraWelsh
- Gwyddau'r EiraWelsh
- SnegåsDanish
- SchneegansGerman
- ΛευκόχηναGreek
- neĝanseroEsperanto
- Ánsar nivalSpanish
- lumehaniEstonian
- lumihanhiFinnish
- snjógásFaroese
- Oie des neigesFrench
- Gé shneachtaIrish
- Gèadh bànScottish Gaelic
- Guiy sniaghteeManx
- אווז שלגHebrew
- snježna guskaCroatian
- sarki lúdHungarian
- SnjógæsIcelandic
- Oca delle neviItalian
- ハクガンJapanese
- 흰기러기Korean
- KangoqCornish
- snieginė žąsisLithuanian
- sniega zossLatvian
- SneeuwgansDutch
- snøgåsNorwegian
- śnieżyca dużaPolish
- ganso-das-nevesPortuguese
- ganso-das-neves-grandePortuguese
- Gâscă de zăpadăRomanian
- Белый гусьRussian
- MuohtačuonjáNorthern Sami
- jievjačuonjáNorthern Sami
- hus snežnáSlovak
- snežna gosSlovenian
- Snežna guskaSerbian
- snögåsSwedish
- Kar KazıTurkish
- гуска білаUkrainian
- 雪雁Chinese
Relatives of the snow goose
Other species in the same genus Anser.
Greylag goose
Anser anser
Taiga bean goose
Anser fabalis
Bar-headed goose
Anser indicus
Greater white-fronted goose
Anser albifrons
Lesser white-fronted goose
Anser erythropus
Pink-footed goose
Anser brachyrhynchus
CompareSnow goose vs Greylag gooseSnow goose vs Taiga bean gooseSnow goose vs Bar-headed gooseSnow goose vs Greater white-fronted goose
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the snow goose?
The snow goose is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup and belongs to the family Anatidae. It is migratory.
How heavy is a snow goose?
An adult snow goose weighs 2.6 kg, with values from 2.5 to 2.7 kg reported by our sources. Its wingspan is 1.49 m.
What does the snow goose eat?
The snow goose is a herbivore.
What habitat does the snow goose live in?
The snow goose lives in grassland and forages on the ground.
Is the snow goose endangered?
No. The snow goose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a snow goose live?
The snow goose has a lifespan of 26.6 years, with values up to 27.5 years reported by our sources.
How many eggs does a snow goose lay?
The snow goose lays 4.5 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 23.6 days.
Who named the snow goose?
The snow goose, Anser caerulescens, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Snow goose (Anser caerulescens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/snow-goose
“Snow goose (Anser caerulescens).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/snow-goose.
@misc{snow_goose_2026,
title = {Snow goose (Anser caerulescens)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/snow-goose},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}