It may be hard to believe, but Canada Geese were once on the brink of extinction.
Just 80 years ago, the wildly vocal birds were presumed extinct in the United States due to overhunting. Miraculously, a small flock was spotted in Rochester, Minnesota, and scientists came together to conserve the tiny population that remained. Soon after, an action plan was launched.
The birds were protected, provided with food, and allowed to reproduce at their leisure. Slowly, they expanded to public parks and golf courses where they could easily spot predators and food was readily available. Now, the United states is home to an estimated 4 to 5 million geese — and people aren’t particularly happy about it.
The sizable birds are often considered pests due to their aggressive territorial behavior, tendency to damage crops, and their habit of leaving behind a preposterous amount of droppings.
Man vs. Canada Goose:
They’re also suspected of causing an increase in bacteria levels at some beaches.
But they’re not all bad; While these days they have a bit of a bad reputation, the birds are actually quite fascinating and surprisingly family-oriented.
Canada Geese mate for life and, unlike us humans, have very low “divorce rates.” One researcher even noted that single geese will stay celibate until they find their lifelong mate.
Goslings (young geese) start communicating to their parents while they’re still in the egg, calling out if they’re happy or distressed. Even more interesting, geese are known to purr like cats when content, and some say it’s considered an honor if one does so in your presence.
What’s more, the enthusiastic birds evidently rarely disrespect siblings or parents, and have tight family bonds.
Now that they’re no longer endangered, a whopping 2 million Canada Geese are harvested every single year in the United States. While this seems like a hefty percentage of the population, their overall numbers don’t seem to be affected.
