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The Laughing Goose
Flight stunts and a distinctive voice set this goose apart
© Aaron Maizlish
The hoots of the Greater White-fronted Goose inspired a nickname, the “Laughing Goose.” A little smaller than Canada Geese, these gray-brown birds are named for the band of white around the base of their pinkish-orange bills. Greater White-fronted Geese are strong, athletic fliers. When family groups come in to land at a roost, they employ a slip-sliding or “falling leaf” maneuver to quickly lose altitude—from over a thousand feet above the ground.
BirdNote®
The Laughing Goose
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
[Greater White-fronted Goose calls]
The lilting voice of this goose inspired a nickname, the “Laughing Goose.”
[Greater White-fronted Goose calls]
They’re also known as “Speckle-bellies” or “Specs” for the diagnostic dark markings on their gray-brown bellies. But if you want their official name, you’ll find them in a field guide as the Greater White-fronted Goose. A little smaller than Canada Geese, these gray-brown birds are named for the band of white around the base of their pinkish-orange bills.
[Greater White-fronted Goose calls]
Greater White-fronted Geese nest in the High Arctic across North America, and from Greenland to Siberia. In fall and winter they can be seen in Texas, Louisiana, California, and Mexico.
[Greater White-fronted Geese calls]
Family bonds are enduring, longer than among other geese. Broods stay together through the first winter and the following spring on the breeding grounds, where last year’s young may help defend the nest from predators. The relationships between parents and siblings may endure lifelong.
[Greater White-fronted Goose calls]
As geese go, White-fronted Geese are especially strong, athletic fliers. When family groups come in to land at a roost, they employ a slip-sliding or “falling leaf” maneuver to quickly lose altitude—from over a thousand feet above the ground.
Pair those stunts with their laughter in flight, and you’ve got one iconic goose.
[Greater White-fronted Goose calls, ML131491]
For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Greater White-fronted Goose ML131491 and ML132105 recorded by Gerrit Vyn, and Greater White-fronted Goose ML294757461 recorded by Michael S. Taylor.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote December 2023
Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# GWFG-01-2023-12-20 GWFG-01
Reference:
http://www.eregulations.com/oregon/19orgb/youve-never-heard-tule-goose/
https://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/white-fronted-goose
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_White-fronted_Goose/sounds
https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/white-fronted-goose
Bob Sundstrom
Writer