Web page for Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Cackling and Canada Geese were recently split into two species. The Cackling Goose taverneri subspecies is thought to be the dominant breeder on Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain although some evidence suggests they may interbreed with Canada Goose parvipes subspecies (Mowbray et al. 2002). Coastal plain Cackling/Canada geese nest in moist sedge shrub tundra with brood rearing in wet sedge meadows, often near the coast (Mowbray et al. 2002). On the coastal plain their diet is dominated by Carex spp. (J. Hupp, pers. comm.). Arctic Alaskan populations winter primarily in w. Washington and Oregon as well as n. California (Mowbray et al. 2002). The Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain population is estimated at ~8,000 with a stable population (Larned et al. 2012).
(Point of Contact); Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (Point of Contact, Publisher)
Vulnerability assessment fact-sheet for Canada/Cackling Goose.