“What
do Canada geese eat?”
Canada geese are a common sight in Ohio, heralding the changing of the seasons. We often see them poking around in the grass, but none of us at the Newton Falls Public Library were exactly sure what it is they’re eating.
Canada geese are a common sight in Ohio, heralding the changing of the seasons. We often see them poking around in the grass, but none of us at the Newton Falls Public Library were exactly sure what it is they’re eating.
We
went back to our extensive birding collection for the answers and found them in Birds of North America by Fred J. Alsop III, Birds of Lake, Pond, and Marsh
by John Eastman, and Birds of Ohio by James S. McCormac and Gregory Kennedy.
All
Canada geese are almost exclusively vegetarian, though according to the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, they've also been known to eat snails, insects, and tadpoles. Geese will graze
on land, both on wild plants and on crops and stubble fields, and dip their
heads underwater to enjoy aquatic plants. Their diet of choice includes
cattail, bulrush, pondweed, grass, clover, alfalfa, corn, millet, barley, soybeans,
oats, and wheat.
According
to Ducks Unlimited Canada,
they spend most of their time feeding – up to twelve hours a day! – and will
eat even more before migrations. Females especially will eat more before the
spring migration to ensure that they have enough energy to lay and then
incubate their eggs.
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