A Closer Look At...

Snow Goose

Photo Credit: © Kammie Kruse - USFWS

Trivia

A medium-sized goose that breeds on the arctic tundra, the snow goose travels south in very large, high-flying, noisy flocks and winters in Texas in the highest number along the Texas coast in prairies, agricultural fields and salt marshes. Flocks of over 100,000 snow geese can be seen feeding in coastal marshes and at such times their flashing white wings and constant, almost deafening, calls are something to behold. Many snow geese can be found in the Texas Panhandle during the winter as well.

Snow geese can be one of two colors (plumage morphs), white (snow) or gray/blue (blue), thus their common names, "snows and blues." Snow geese mainly eat plant material found in shallow water or on land. Snow geese in North America have increased to the point where the tundra breeding areas in the Arctic are becoming severely degraded, and this has affected other species using the same habitat.

State Parks to Visit

For up close views of snow geese as well as Ross’s, white-fronted and Canada geese, visit Sheldon Lake State Park’s Environmental Education Center located off of Old US 90 (Old Beaumont Highway) where a flocks numbering in the hundreds regularly spend the winter and are often visible from the prairie nature trail.