An essay by Jayce Swanson
Introduction
“I obviously do not deny the struggle of existence, but I maintain that the progressive development of the animal kingdom, and especially of mankind, is favored much more by mutual support rather than mutual struggle…All organic beings have two essential needs; that of nutrition, and that of propagating the species. The former brings them to a struggle and to mutual extermination, while the needs of maintaining the species brings them to approach one another and support one another. But I am inclined to think that in the evolution of the organic world, in the progressive modification of organic beings, mutual support among individuals plays a much more important part than their mutual struggle”.
Memoirs (Trudy) of the St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists, Vol. XI, 1880.
As soon as we study geese, not just in the frustration of traffic or in our public parks, but also in the lakes and plains, we at once perceive that though there is an immense amount of warfare going on, both between rival geese and ganders, and especially amidst various men and geese, there is, at the same time, as much, or perhaps even more mutual support, mutual aid, and even mutual defense amidst Canada Geese, or of geese in the same flock or brood gang. Sociability is as much a law of nature as mutual struggle. Of course it would be rather difficult to estimate, however roughly, the relative numerical importance of both these facts, as they are tropes in the natural world as old as life itself. But if we resort to an indirect test, and ask of our Creator, Mother Nature; “Who are the fittest: Those who are constantly at war with one another, or those who support one another?” We at once see from Mother Nature that these animals which acquire habits of mutual aid are undoubtedly the fittest. Happy and healthy geese have more chances to survive, and they readily attain, in their respective flocks, families, and brood gangs, the highest development of intelligence and bodily organization. If the numberless facts which can be brought forward to support this view are taken into account, we may safely say that mutual aid is as much a law of the life of the Canada Goose as mutual struggle, if not more so. But that as a factor of evolution, it most probably has a far greater importance, inasmuch as it favors the development of such habits and feathered characteristics as insure the maintenance and further development of the species Branta canadensis, together with the greatest amount of welfare and enjoyment of life for the individual gander or goose, with the least waste of energy.
To grow up in the prairie and lakes country is to grow up alongside a deceptively diverse ecosystem. One that brings tremendous hardship to its many inhabitants, be they with or without central heating. Twenty below nights, all-pervasive mosquitos, and endless winds have come to make up the region’s unflattering defining characteristics, yet there are countless joys that are experiences like none other, like a refreshing float down the Ottertail River with friends, the lush verdant scenery across the sparsely inhabited plains, and slowly watching life’s inevitable return across the land during the springtime. In such a land dominated by these climactic extremes, one cannot help but be enamored by the fortitude of life in this region, especially of the seasoned flocks of geese that fly thousands of miles from their wintering grounds in the subtropics to the temperate north with the goal of returning to their nesting grounds planned out and built from the previous year. To see this migration year after year continues to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity in me during my time outdoors, with an irrepressible grin emerging on my face whenever I hear the multitude of happyhonks from above as if I am a witness to a V-shaped plane flying over the backyard en route to a nearby park or watering hole. In keeping with this spirit of wonder and curiosity, it is vital to have a complete understanding of the Canada Goose and how they live so that mankind may at last learn something from this common, yet quite unique and widely misunderstood species of North American waterfowl, and how, in the end, we may have more in common than we thought.
Part 1, Aviation
The Canada Goose (also known as Branta canadensis) is a migratory species of North American waterfowl who have achieved dominion over the skies, lakes, prairies, and parks of Canada and the United States, with many smaller enclaves of geese spotted as far away as coastal western Europe. Among the many migration corridors of the Canada Goose, the more populous routes often lie within the interior of the North American continent, with my native Minnesota being a very popular destination for migrating geese returning north from the humid and subtropical coasts of Texas and Louisiana, with many flocks also opting to fly further north into Manitoba to nest for the summer, with as many as half a million geese gracing our skies during these migrations1. Migrations of this scale never fail to impress me, let alone zoologists, and are accomplished without any of the convenient innovations made in navigation technology. How do the Canada Geese pull off such a feat? The Canada Goose, on top of having an excellent memory ideal for remembering the exact location of their historic stomping grounds and nesting spots, also enjoys a pictographic memory. Canada Geese are easily able to identify particular and prominent landmarks along their flight routes. These landmarks can range from identifying a safe wooded area along a river to rest at to an open lake or wetland in the middle of the prairie, with many urban geese also identifying parks, creeks, and even watersheds near industrial parks as valid places to congregate. With this precision in judgement, the Canada Goose is easily able to recognize patterns that allow them and their flocks to recognize where to lay their eggs, where to build the nest, where there is readily available food and water, as well as safe stomping grounds where predators cannot (or will not) disturb them or their flocks or goslings.
When conditions outdoors are worse, such as a flight taking place at night, the flocks can follow the various contours from below, spotted by the nearest river, lake, or pond. During cloudy days, when paths forward are obscured and opaque, flocks will often overshoot their old wintering grounds with the aid of other geese in the flock. Often objections are honked out in the form of another goose initiating a flight elsewhere, and may even change course or stop to rest and see if a more coherent route forward is feasible when the weather and/or visibility improves. Yet the recognition of vital landmarks are not the only trick up the flock’s sleeve. Many observers and waterfowl enthusiasts have noted that geese are known to use the direction of the sun, as well as our many stars, most notably our North Star as navigational aids during their many flights across the landscape. While this utilization of the North Star and sun is not unique to the Canada Goose, the stars have long remained a very helpful frame of reference for astronomers and birds alike, especially if the ground appears invisible from below in the case of the latter.
When seeing the flight of the Canada Geese, it’s always such a delight to see what majesty and grace they fly with, especially their signature ‘V’shaped formations always bending, maneuvering, stretching, and growing more compact, yet so firm and consistent. There are many virtues to this astounding formation. In addition to severely reducing the power of the wind and thus its resistance against the bodies of the flock, any goose behind the lead also gets a slight lift from the surrounding air currents that are best carried off the wingtips of the flying goose. With the upper Midwest’s endless, cold winds, this ability is very much a welcome adaptation and addition to the flock, which can save plenty of energy and prolong the goose’s endurance, making flights long and far across the continent. With this burden of labor-sharing among the flock, it is flight etiquette for the flock’s dominant gander to initiate flight and assume the head of the ‘V’ formation. When the initiating gander tires, another goose, sometimes the mate of the dominant gander, will assume the lead and give the previous lead time to rest. This rotation within the flock will continue until the flock reaches its destination. In keeping with this pattern, flocks of Canada Geese can and do continue this method during any length of flight, be it a long transcontinental voyage to their wintering grounds during the fall migration, or a short, sweet local flight to a lake during the summer. While popular perceptions of a ‘dominant gander’ conjure images of dominance hierarchies applied to other sections of the animal kingdom, complete with the irate honks from the usual suspect(s), it is noteworthy that the role’s limited responsibilities in practice, namely initiating flight for a flock and assuming the lead of a flight. Beyond a mere desire to initiate flight, this supposedly ‘dominant’ gander enjoys all the same responsibilities of any other goose such as finding food, clean water, and shelter as well as care for their goslings or injured members of the flock.
In addition to their care extended to others within the flock, the Canada Goose is also known to occasionally act as a chauffeur throughout its ecosystem for various species of small birds, especially during migratory voyages, with various accounts abounding of various songbirds, hummingbirds, and even a sparrow boarding and resting along the back of a flying goose2. With such vital services provided by the travelling geese, the ecosystem surrounding these waterfowls and all other creatures reliant on or affected by it are completed with this communal bird, so that nature may meet the needs of all her creatures.
Part 2, Kinship Structure
In the spirit of youth, the yearlings who hatched last spring travel with parentsand the extended family to their respective destinations. Once the flock arrives to their perennial nesting grounds, the youth, in a playful spirit, seek to mimic the custom of pair-bonding, often with playfighting and infatuation in mind. In other cases, the juveniles will occasionally play house and seek to play with nesting materials, with some even going so far as to build little nests. Much like young lovers, many of these juveniles playing house will go on to pair bond, build nests, and raise families of their own once they are of age. A young gander will often choose his mate at the age of 2-3 years, with the goose in most cases being of the same age3. The commencement of these pair bonding rites begins after the flock returns to its nesting grounds in the spring months, with existing couples often spotted returning as the flocks fly from their feeding grounds within their winter ranges. With the consent of the goose and the interest of the gander, the gander will then protect the immediate vicinity to discourage and intimidate any other gander who demonstrates interest, with gradations of hostility to real and perceived threats to the goose expressed in several ways; A mild warning is shown by the gander pumping his head up and down. This is regarded as a visual warning to another gander, much like any scowl or look intended to discourage and engender a sense of shame. Next, if a situation merits a more aggressive response, the gander will extend his long neck and head forward and will rotate his head in a vigorous fashion, often giving a honk or hiss while waving his head and neck back and forth in a display of irritation. As the gander’s most aggressive measure, the irate gander will stretch his long neck out in a horizontal fashion in the direction of his opponent and will honk loudly while running or swimming towards his rival to attack, sometimes by biting, clawing, or wing-flapping. And while the occasional fight over a goose may arise, lesser threats are typically enough to deter rival ganders or other predators. Once a pair bond has been established, courtship and copulation rituals ensue. This custom is known as the breeding ceremony, as described by author and renowned bird enthusiast Donald Stokes;
“Once the two are committed to each other, they frequently perform the greeting ceremony. The greeting ceremony occurs between mates or family members that have just come together after being apart. In the ceremony the male alternates the snore-call with the a-honk call and its accompanying rolling display. At the same time, the female holds her neck in a diagonal position and gives her hink call…A feature of the display that is hard to believe even after you have heard it is that the male a-honk call and female hink call are given as a duet. Each alternates with each other in such a perfectly timed way that together they sound like one call…The main precopulatory display is neck dipping. In this the birds rhythmically dip their heads and necks deep into the water and toss water over their backs as they bring them out. During the display the male aligns himself alongside the female and finally steps onto her back while holding her neck feathers in his bill. After copulation, both birds do head-up. Throughout the neck-dipping phase, both birds tread water with their feet, stirring it up on the sides4”.
With such a ritual completed and the bonds of kinship established, the pair will soon have to plan for the future and factor in the nests of their future offspring. This is most thoroughly exemplified in the establishment of a nest, most commonly in the same nesting grounds as their extended families, in addition to countless generations of Canada Geese before them. The pair’s nesting grounds are carefully chosen by the goose, with the fierce, vigilant protection of the gander ensuing once the goose begins construction, often 2-3 days prior to laying her eggs. The goose, looking after the interests of the pair and by extension the flock, desires many favorable traits in the nesting site, such as accessible reserves of fresh growing grasses or grains for a suitable food source, proximity to water, and an easily defensible spot. At times, this can be on an island in a lake or river, or within a rotted-out stump of a tree, or even in the sandbox of someone’s backyard. All of said locations must be able to avoid flooding by meltwater or seasonal rains, as well as having a wide range of visibility to ensure a safe upbringing by virtue of natural surveillance so that the goose and gander may make a mental note of who or what comes into the vicinity, be they neighbors, families, or predators.
As a species, the Canada Goose is monogamous, lifelong pair bonds resulting from mating rites. Such practices have contributed to incredibly durable social bonds, with countless instances of a member of a flock going out of their way to find and/or help a mate or fellow gander or goose who is lost, injured, or sick. Such instincts for aid and consideration even carries on posthumously, with geese who have lost their mate to hunting, injury, disease, or natural causes known to fly at the edges of their respective flocks or even leaving the flock altogether to continue a more rigorous search for the lost mate, making them all the more vulnerable to hunters, becoming lost themselves, and loneliness. Depressive symptoms are even noted in some Canada Geese, with malnourishment and poor self-care contributing to proof, as well as the distressed honks originating from a concerned goose who has lost their respective mate or flock. Like humans, the Canada Goose can heal from loss and find a new life after said loss, and will often aspire to form a new pair bond before the next breeding season. Should the loss occur closer to the breeding season, the goose will seek a pair bond not long before the season commences, similar to the custom of ‘cuffing season’, in late 20th century North American youth cultures.
Part 3, Conclusion
With such an anthropocentric mentality permeating around the experience of life and all its sentiments, milestones, and struggles, it is very easy to forget that humanity does not have a monopoly on emotions and socialization, and our feathered friends would honk loudly in objection if they understood English, especially on the latter subject. When it comes to socializing the next generation and generations after us, the Canada Goose serves as something of a ideal muse for the aspiring parent and proves this in a variety of ways. In addition to being completely involved in the care, security, and nourishment of the goslings, the goose family almost always moves as a unit, with the mother leading the traveling family on the water while the father keeps close from behind, and are not afraid to chase away and attack any land or aquatic animal, humans included, should they venture too close. With this constant vigilance on the part of the parents, the mortality rate for the Canada Geese from birth to the age of flight fluctuates between 7-20%, among the lowest for any North American waterfowl species5.
With such richness in communal spirit, as seen by communal flights, strong pair bonding rites, and care given to the future generations, the Canada Goose serves as a living, honking monument to tight-knit communities, resilience in hostile climes, and a stubborn strong will to continue despite nearly being hunted to extinction nearly a century prior. In an age of rot and decline, mankind must look to the goose for some wisdom and see that we may not be as different as we think we are. Learn from the goose. Become ungovernable.
Sources
1 Leitch, William, Fireside Waterfowler. (Stackpole Books, 1987)
2 Breen, Kit Howard, Canada Geese. (Voyager Press, inc. 1990), 25.
3 Ibid, 25.
4 Stokes, Donald, A Guide to Bird Behavior. (Boston Little, Brown and Co, 1979).
5 Belrose, Frank, Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. (Stackpole Books, 1976)
