Ross's Goose - Ross Feldner

Although we share a name it’s not my personal goose. This small goose is named in honor of Bernard R. Ross, who was associated with the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada's Northwest Territories. Members of the Hudson's Bay Company were the first Europeans to discover its arctic nesting grounds in 1940.

Ross's Goose is the smallest of the three white geese that breed in North America. It is similar in appearance to a white-phase Snow Goose, but about 40% smaller.

Before the early 1900s, this goose was considered a rare species, likely the consequence of open hunting, but its numbers have increased dramatically as a result of conservation measures and it is now listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN and is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Hunting of Ross's geese was made illegal in the U.S. in 1931.

They form large nesting colonies on islands in shallow lakes and nearby mainland, building nests on the ground made of twigs, leaves, grass, moss, and down.

Ross’s Goose and the more well-known Snow Goose have experienced population explosions as climate change has continued to warm their arctic breeding grounds, leading to less snow cover and increased plant growth.