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Bird

Canada Goose

Branta canadensis

Lives in Florida all year and nests here. Found in 52 of 67 counties, across 16 habitats.

Here
All year
Nesting
Nests here
Range
52 of 67 counties
Habitats
16

At a glance

Group
Birds
Here
All year
Nesting
Nests here
Range
52 of 67 counties
Habitats
16
Habitat models
Summer, Winter

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in Florida 16

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 16

Coastal dunes and beaches

White Sand Bluffs, on Santa Rosa Island, Near Pensacola
SummerWinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Southern Beach; Unconsolidated Shore (Beach/Dune); Southeast Florida Beach; Atlantic Coastal Plain Sea Island Beach; Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland; East Gulf Coastal Plain Dune and Coastal Grassland; Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Interdunal WetlandGeorge Catlin, White Sand Bluffs, on Santa Rosa Island, Near Pensacola (1834-35): high white dunes with scattered clumps of dune plants above the Gulf. Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola, FloridaWhite Sand Bluffs, on Santa Rosa Island, Near Pensacola, George Catlin (1796-1872), 1834-1835. Public domain. Source record.

Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)

On the San Sebastian River, Floridalabel QS:Len,"On the San Sebastian River, Florida"
SummerWinterMartin Johnson Heade, On the San Sebastian River (c. 1883-90): a tidal river winding through flat marsh under storm clouds at sunset. San Sebastian River, St. Augustine, FloridaOn the San Sebastian River, Floridalabel QS:Len,"On the San Sebastian River, Florida", Martin Johnson Heade, c. 1883-1890. Public domain. Source record.

Freshwater marshes

The Great Florida Marsh
SummerWinterSouthern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Nupea Modifier; South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh; Floridian Highlands Freshwater MarshMartin Johnson Heade, The Great Florida Marsh (1886): open marsh and lily-dotted water beneath live oaks and cabbage palms. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Florida (Heade, The Great Florida Marsh, 1886; North Carolina Museum of Art)The Great Florida Marsh, Martin Johnson Heade, 1886. Public domain. Source record.

Pine savannas

Beautiful Savannah in the Pine Woods of Florida
SummerWinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet PrairieGeorge Catlin, Beautiful Savannah in the Pine Woods of Florida (1834-35): an open grassy savanna with a shallow pond, ringed by tall pines, with palmettos and red wildflowers. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Pine woods of Florida (George Catlin, 1834-35; Smithsonian American Art Museum)Beautiful Savannah in the Pine Woods of Florida, George Catlin, 1834-1835. Public domain. Source record.

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Florida Sunrisetitle QS:P1476,en:"Florida Sunrise"label QS:Len,"Florida Sunrise"
SummerWinterOpen Water (Fresh); Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural LakeshoreMartin Johnson Heade, Florida Sunrise: still water and a palm-fringed shore glowing at dawn. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Florida (Heade, Florida Sunrise, c. 1890-1900)Florida Sunrisetitle QS:P1476,en:"Florida Sunrise"label QS:Len,"Florida Sunrise", Martin Johnson Heade, c. 1890-1900. Public domain. Source record.

Sounds, bays and tidal flats

Fort George Island, Florida
SummerWinterOpen Water (Brackish/Salt)Thomas Moran, Fort George Island (1878): a tidal shore of wet sand and shallow water at the river mouth, with cabbage palms and a beached ship. Fort George Island, Florida (Thomas Moran, 1878; Smithsonian American Art Museum)Fort George Island, Florida, Thomas Moran, 1878. Public domain. Source record.

Swamps

Florida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha
SummerWinterSouthern Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall; East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp; Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall; Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin SwampFlorida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha (1899): a dark swamp-lined river at sunset, with cypress and hardwoods crowding both banks. Ocklawaha River, FloridaFlorida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha, Detroit Photographic Co. (chromolithograph), 1899. Public domain. Source record.

Coastal Plain seepage bogs

Open, wet, seepage-fed bogs of the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, often with pitcher plants.

SummerWinterSouthern Coastal Plain Herbaceous Seepage Bog

Depression ponds and limesinks

Shallow ponds in Coastal Plain depressions, such as limesinks and the ponds in some Carolina bays, that rise and fall with the seasons.

SummerWinterCentral Florida Herbaceous Pondshore; Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

SummerWinter

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

SummerWinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest; Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest

Freshwater tidal marshes

Marshes along tidal rivers where the water is fresh but rises and falls with the tide.

SummerWinterFlorida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh; Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh

Pocosins and bay forests

Dense evergreen shrub wetlands and bay forests on wet, acid peat of the Coastal Plain.

SummerWinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall

Salt and brackish marshes

Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.

SummerWinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh; Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh; Mississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

SummerWinterOnly within 500 m of water.Developed, Open Space; Cultivated Cropland; Pasture/Hay; Disturbed/Successional - Grass/Forb Regeneration; Utility Swath - Herbaceous; Disturbed, Non-specific; Ruderal Upland - Old Field

Tree plantations and managed pine

Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.

SummerWinterOnly within 500 m of water.Evergreen Plantation or Managed Pine
Other habitats in its models (79)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Florida. Those recorded in Florida first, the rest by region.

In Florida 2

  • Central Florida Herbaceous Seep Summer and winter.
  • South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Summer and winter.
Elsewhere in the South (32)
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Summer and winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer and winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Summer and winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Xeric River Dune Summer and winter.
  • Central and Upper Texas Coast Dune and Coastal Grassland Summer and winter.
  • Cumberland Riverscour Summer and winter.
  • East-Central Texas Plains Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
  • East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
  • Louisiana Beach Winter.
  • Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Summer and winter.
  • Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Mississippi River Bottomland Depression Summer and winter.
  • Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest Summer and winter.
  • Mississippi River Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
  • Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Summer and winter.
  • Red River Large Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
  • South-Central Interior Large Floodplain Summer and winter.
  • South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian Summer and winter.
  • Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Summer and winter.
  • Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Texas Coastal Bend Beach Winter.
  • Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Summer and winter.
  • Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Upper Texas Coast Beach Winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp Summer and winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Summer and winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest Summer and winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Calcareous Prairie Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
Northeast (5)
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Sandy Beach Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Summer and winter.
  • Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
  • Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Sandy Beach Winter.
Midwest (5)
  • Central Mixedgrass Prairie Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Central Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Great Lakes Dune Summer.
  • North-Central Interior Sand and Gravel Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Western Great Plains Wooded Draw and Ravine Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
Land cover and other classes (35)
  • Arkansas Valley Prairie and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Summer and winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Summer and winter.
  • Barren Land Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
  • Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems Summer and winter.
  • Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
  • Developed, Low Intensity Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Developed, Medium Intensity Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
  • Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
  • Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Summer and winter.
  • Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
  • Open Water (Aquaculture) Summer and winter.
  • Recently Burned Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Recently Burned Forest Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Recently Burned Grassland Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • Recently Logged Areas Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
  • South Texas Dune and Coastal Grassland Summer and winter.
  • South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
  • South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Southern Piedmont/Ridge and Valley Upland Depression Swamp Summer and winter.
  • Tamaulipan Riparian Systems Summer and winter.
  • Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Summer and winter.
  • Unconsolidated Shore Summer and winter.
  • Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Summer and winter.
  • Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
  • Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.

All habitats

Seasons in Florida

  • Year-round: nests here, in 52 of 67 counties.

Food plants

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Plants matched by genus.

Native plants in these genera 138

Plant genera in its diet records (17)
  • Trifolium Leaves. 9 diet records. 2 native plants in Florida
  • Zea Seeds. 6 diet records. 0 native plants in Florida
  • Triticum Leaves and seeds. 5 diet records. 0 native plants in Florida
  • Medicago 4 diet records. 0 native plants in Florida
  • Glycine Seeds. 3 diet records. 0 native plants in Florida
  • Helianthus Seeds. 2 diet records. 14 native plants in Florida
  • Sorghum Seeds. 2 diet records. 0 native plants in Florida
  • Carex Leaves. 1 diet record. 77 native plants in Florida
  • Eleocharis Leaves. 1 diet record. 29 native plants in Florida
  • Equisetum Leaves. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Florida
  • Phleum Leaves. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Florida
  • Plantago Roots. 1 diet record. 6 native plants in Florida
  • Poa Leaves. 1 diet record. 3 native plants in Florida
  • Setaria Seeds. 1 diet record. 4 native plants in Florida
  • Sparganium Leaves. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Florida
  • Taraxacum Leaves. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Florida
  • Triglochin Roots. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Florida

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Also found in its main habitats

Its main habitats in Florida, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.

Canada Goose uses many habitats in Florida; these are its 3 most characteristic.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Birds 117

Plants 1524

All of roadsides, fields and disturbed ground in Florida

Swamps

Birds 94

Plants 353

All of swamps in Florida

Coastal dunes and beaches

Birds 128

Plants 187

All of coastal dunes and beaches in Florida

USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models.

Sources