Family: Anatidae, Ducks and Geese view all from this family

Description 26-28" (66-71 cm). As large as Snow Goose or Greater White-fronted Goose. Body and wings silvery gray; black and white feather margins give a scaled bluish appearance. Head, hindneck, and tail white; throat black; bill pinkish; legs and feet bright orange. Juveniles are gray overall.

Habitat Seacoasts, mudflats, and coastal tundra.

Nesting 3-8 creamy-white eggs in a down-lined nest placed on the ground on islets of marshy tundra or among driftwood on the coast.

Range Breeds on islands and marshy coasts of western Alaska. Winters mainly in Aleutian Islands east to Kodiak Island.

Voice   Loud musical notes, kla-ha, kla-ha, kla-ha.

Discussion As in other tundra-dwelling birds, the head and neck of these geese take on a deep rust stain from the iron in stagnating waters, for they feed with head and neck submerged, plucking vegetation from the bottom. The black pattern on the throat distinguishes this species from the "Blue Goose," which is relatively rare in Alaska.