<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Call A flock of feeding Canada geese calling </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Problems playing this file? See media help . </Td> </Tr> <P> The black head and neck with a white "chinstrap" distinguish the Canada goose from all other goose species, with the exception of the cackling goose and barnacle goose (the latter, however, has a black breast and gray rather than brownish body plumage). </P> <P> The seven subspecies of this bird vary widely in size and plumage details, but all are recognizable as Canada geese . Some of the smaller races can be hard to distinguish from the cackling goose, which slightly overlap in mass . However, most subspecies of the cackling goose (exclusive of Richardson's cackling goose, B. h . hutchinsii) are considerably smaller . The smallest cackling goose, B. h . minima, is scarcely larger than a mallard . In addition to the size difference, cackling geese also have a shorter neck and smaller bill, which can be useful when small Canada geese comingle with relatively large cackling geese . Of the "true geese" (i.e. the genera Anser, Branta or Chen), the Canada goose is on average the largest living species, although some other species that are geese in name, if not of close relation to these genera, are on average heavier such as the spur - winged goose and Cape Barren goose . </P>

Why is the canadian goose important to canada