Greater White-Fronted Goose Habitat Analysis
The greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) is generally found in natural wetlands and agricultural lands but can also be found in grasslands, wet tundra, and coastal marshes, where they feed on seeds, grains, grasses, and berries. In recent years there has been a decline in greater white-fronted geese in Louisiana during the winter. Winter counts of greater white-fronted geese in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi have increased. In a collaborative effort, scientists work to identify the cause of the shift in the distribution of this species.
In this study, scientists hypothesize that changing land use and reductions to the available foraging habitats in Louisiana could be causing the movement of the greater white-fronted goose out of Louisiana. To test this, scientists captured about 80 adult greater white-fronted geese in Louisiana and attached GPS collars to track them. In Louisiana, technicians’ ground-truthed over 100,000 greater white-fronted goose locations to collect data on fine-scale habitat features, such as land cover, water depth, and vegetation height.
This project is ongoing and is in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and many private donors funded the project.
The greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) is generally found in natural wetlands and agricultural lands but can also be found in grasslands, wet tundra, and coastal marshes, where they feed on seeds, grains, grasses, and berries. In recent years there has been a decline in greater white-fronted geese in Louisiana during the winter. Winter counts of greater white-fronted geese in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi have increased. In a collaborative effort, scientists work to identify the cause of the shift in the distribution of this species.
In this study, scientists hypothesize that changing land use and reductions to the available foraging habitats in Louisiana could be causing the movement of the greater white-fronted goose out of Louisiana. To test this, scientists captured about 80 adult greater white-fronted geese in Louisiana and attached GPS collars to track them. In Louisiana, technicians’ ground-truthed over 100,000 greater white-fronted goose locations to collect data on fine-scale habitat features, such as land cover, water depth, and vegetation height.
This project is ongoing and is in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and many private donors funded the project.