Snow Goose

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Snow Goose in the UK

Snow Goose is on the British List in Categories A and C2: wild vagrants from North America, plus a small self-sustaining feral population in Argyll, on Mull and Coll. Most Snow Geese seen in Britain are escapes from wildfowl collections. A handful of wild birds arrive with the Pink-footed Geese that come here for the winter. The feral population is tiny: estimates from around 2010 gave about 75 birds in winter and only a couple of breeding pairs. Numbers in North America have risen sharply in recent decades.

Where and when to see a Snow Goose

For a likely wild bird, check large flocks of Pink-footed Geese from October to March in Norfolk, Lancashire and eastern Scotland. Scan fields by day or watch the flights to and from the roost at dawn and dusk. A white goose stands out at long range. Tame single birds on park lakes, or any seen in summer, are escapes. The feral birds are on Mull and Coll in the Inner Hebrides. Bird news services usually say which flock a wild candidate is with.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Wet grassland (rare visitor).
Diet: Grass.
Field note: Pure white with black wing-tips.

How to identify a Snow Goose

A medium-sized goose, close to a Pink-footed Goose in size. White morph adults are all white with black wing-tips, a pink bill with a black 'grinning patch' along the cutting edges, and pink legs. Blue morph adults have a white head and upper neck on a dark blue-grey body. Juveniles are dusky grey-brown above (white morph) or dark all over (blue morph), with dark bills and legs. In flight the black primaries contrast sharply with the white wing. Two races occur, Lesser and the bulkier, longer-billed Greater.

Call and song

A high, nasal, single-note 'whouk', like a small dog barking. A lone bird in a noisy flock of Pink-feet is very hard to pick out by ear. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Ross's Goose: Ross's is much smaller, about Mallard size, with a short stubby bill, a rounder head and no black grinning patch.
• Greylag Goose: White farmyard geese descended from Greylags are heavier, with orange bills and white wing-tips instead of black.

Related guide UK winter wildfowl.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Snow Goose is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Greater Snow GooseEpic · Wet grassland (very rare)
• Lesser White-fronted GooseEpic · Wet meadows (very rare)
• Taiga Bean GooseRare · Damp fields (winter)
• Tundra Bean GooseRare · Damp fields (winter)
• Greylag GooseCommon · Lakes
• Pink-footed GooseUncommon · Stubble

Snow Goose: quick answers

Has a Snow Goose ever been seen in the UK?

Yes, every year, but origin is the catch. Most are escapes or feral birds. A wild bird is most likely one that arrives in autumn with Pink-footed Geese, behaves as warily as they do and leaves with them in spring.

Is the Snow Goose rare in the UK?

Wild ones are: only a handful are thought to arrive in a typical winter. White geese on town lakes and gravel pits are far more common and are not wild. Listers generally count birds travelling with wild carrier flocks or the established feral birds in Argyll.

What does a Snow Goose eat?

Plants. On the breeding grounds it grazes grasses and sedges and grubs out roots with its heavy bill. In Britain it feeds like the geese it travels with, on pasture, winter cereals and stubble.

Kit that helps

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