Anser caerulescens
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The snow goose (Anser caerulescens) is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed in the genus Chen, but is now typically included in the "gray goose" genus Anser.
Snow geese breed north of the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and spend winters in warm parts of North America from southwestern British Columbia through parts of the United States to Mexico.
In 1750, English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the snow goose in the third volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "the blue-winged goose". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a preserved specimen that had been brought to London from the Hudson Bay area of Canada by James Isham. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the 10th edition, he placed the snow goose with the ducks and geese in the genus Anas. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Anas caerulescens, and cited... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Svalbard | 🇳🇴 Norway | |
| 14 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 17 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Snow Goose sighting in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 152nd most-seen of the 181 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snow Goose in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Snow Goose sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Snow Goose sightings, Riding Mountain National Park ranks 5th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, under 5%), Bahía de Loreto National Park (Mexico, under 5%) and Padre Island National Seashore (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Snow Goose that you can see in Riding Mountain National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Mallard (about 40%), Canada Goose (about 40%) and Common Goldeneye (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Snow Goose is recorded against all the birds logged in Riding Mountain National Park (15 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
