eNature: Ask an Expert

Ask an Expert

Aleutian or Lucien Goose

A friend recently told me of a flock of large geese, on her property in the S.F. Bay area, which she referred to as "Aleutian" or possibly "Lucien" geese. I have been unable to find any reference to this name in any field guides or on the web. Perhaps this is a local name for another goose (Canadas are very common in this area). Have you ever heard of this species?

There are 15 subspecies of the Canada goose, and one of them is called the Aleutian Canada goose. It does winter in the S.F Bay area, and breeds in the Aleutian Islands. It is not, however, one of the larger subspecies of Canada goose. In fact, it is slightly smaller than the average of the 15 subspecies.