Head and neck usually black, cheeks with white patches; brownish-gray body and wings with whitish feather tips; black tail with preceding feathers white; white base of neck and posterior part of belly; black feet and beak; brown eyes; adult weight from 1 to 4 kg (2 to 9 lb), and length (beak to tail) from 56 to 102 cm (22 to 40 in); wings average 45 cm (18 in) long with total wingspan over 1 meter (3 ft).

These birds have excellent vision, which is advantageous for an animal that spends a great part of its life in the air. However, because their eyes are located on the flanks of their head, vision is almost totally one-dimensional. Their ears are hidden but they possess a good sense of hearing.

Scientists may not all agree, but there appear to be at least 10 subspecies of Canada goose in Canada, each slightly different in their external characteristics.  As a general rule, all sub-species are similar in coloration.

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) are probably one of the most well-known game birds in Canada, undoubtedly due to their recognizable cry and V-shaped flying formation. Who doesn’t raise their eyes to the sky at the familiar sound of their passage? Its populations have shown a steady increase over the years, to the delight of Canadian hunters.