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All About Birds

Snow Goose

Overview
ID Info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Snow Goose Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Flock calls
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California, January 14, 1989Recorded by Thomas G. Sander | Macaulay Library
Individual calls
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New York, March 29, 2017Recorded by Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library
Individual calls
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Connecticut, May 01, 1964Recorded by Marian P. McChesney | Macaulay Library
Calls
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Nunavut, June 20, 2008Recorded by Gerrit Vyn | Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Calls

Snow Geese are possibly the noisiest of all waterfowl. Their main call, made by both males and females, is a nasal, one-syllable honk given at any hour of the day or night, at any time of year, in the air or on the ground. Distant calling flocks are reminiscent of a pack of baying hounds. Birds less than a year old have a clearer and higher-pitched whistle. Family groups use a series of guttural notes to communicate with each other while feeding. Parents make a fast, quiet series of notes as a brood call to round up goslings. During nesting, they use a penetrating alarm call that varies in intensity. The flight call is a continuous chorus of shrill cries, hoarse honks, and high-pitched quacks, audible both day and night.

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Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family:Anatidae)

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