I know they are the same species... but will a snow goose take a blue goose for a mate? Or do they seek like color phases during courtship?
Jon
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Blue geese often mate with White Snows.
I might not be correct but aren't blues immature Snows?
I thought that was it.
Curtis
I figured they did.. but couldn't find proof of any sort...
and No Curtis.. A blue is a color phase of the Snow..
Jon
a snow goose turns to a blue goose and then a fully mature is the eaglehead blue
thats the full process
No offense, but you are totally wrong about a snow goose turning into a blue goose. A blue phase snow is just that, a blue goose. When they're hatched, they look just like black fuzz balls even if one parent is a white phase snow. During their first year, most are almost all gray/black with small amounts of white on their head and/or neck. They don't develop their mature eagle head characteristics until they eclipse at the end of their first year.
20 years ago the mid continent's snow geese, there were only about 5% blues now its close to 55% this last fall i really noticed this, as when snows and blues breed together the blues are the dominent color so less and less snows every year...i'd say that in 20 years from now there will hardley be any snows left in the mid continent flock.. these are the geese that nest close to hudsons bay.. the ones that nest in the artic are still pretty much snows.. (white).. when they breed together there are some neet colored blues, pure white bellys, some all white heads and necks and bellys.. seen all white with blue wings. and so on..fifteen years ago a white belly blue was kindof a trophy, not many than.. now there are lots. the blues and snows will also breed with the ross goose that is a different species, but must be close or it wouldent happen? kindof like the walleye and sauger.. you hardley see a true blue phase goose any more in the mid continent birds. with the colors they are soposto be. 800 miles west and blue phase are not very common 2-5 out of a hundred, these nest in the artic..
I thought this argument was over. I do know a bunch of the old school hunters who still will not admit that a blue and a snow are the same species. There are some scientists who believe that the blue will take over eventually in the central flyway. I have noticed more and more blues every year so it could be the case. Is this going to happen? I dont know. Probably not in my lifetime.
Out in the Pacific flyway and Southern California in particular there are very few Blue Geese. In a grind of 25,000 there will be maybe 10 to 15 blues on any given year. Central California has more per 1000. Triple B is correct. Snows don't turn into Blues. Imature Blues are dark grey almost black and the heads are not white.
Tony
then we see blues but in the past few years the blues seem to have taken a drastic up swing in population. This may be due to predation. Blues are more camo then the whites. Also I have heard that it is rare for a white gander to mate with a blue female, but it is very common to see white females with a blue gander. It also seems that the blue phase is somewhat a dominant trait these days and therefore the population of blues to whites is increasing greatly. i understand that at one time the blue was almost non existant in the central flyway, and could only be seen in any numbers in the Pacific flyway, but according to Tony they are now much fewer and farther between there then in the central flyway.