<P> Canada geese range from 75 to 110 cm (30 to 43 in) in length and have a 127--185 cm (50--73 in) wingspan . Among standard measurements, the wing chord can range from 39 to 55 cm (15 to 22 in), the tarsus can range from 6.9 to 10.6 cm (2.7 to 4.2 in) and the bill can range from 4.1 to 6.8 cm (1.6 to 2.7 in). The largest subspecies is the B. c. maxima, or the giant Canada goose, and the smallest (with the separation of the cackling goose group) is B. c. parvipes, or the lesser Canada goose . An exceptionally large male of race B. c. maxima, which rarely exceed 8 kg (18 lb), weighed 10.9 kg (24 lb) and had a wingspan of 2.24 m (7.3 ft). This specimen is the largest wild goose ever recorded of any species . </P> <P> The male Canada goose usually weighs 2.6--6.5 kg (5.7--14.3 lb), averaging amongst all subspecies 3.9 kg (8.6 lb). The female looks virtually identical, but is slightly lighter at 2.4--5.5 kg (5.3--12.1 lb), averaging amongst all subspecies 3.6 kg (7.9 lb), and generally 10% smaller in linear dimensions than the male counterparts . The female also possesses a different, and less sonorous, honk than the male . </P> <P> This species is native to North America . It breeds in Canada and the northern United States in a variety of habitats . The Great Lakes region maintains a very large population of Canada geese . Canada geese occur year - round in the southern part of their breeding range, including most of the eastern seaboard and the Pacific coast . Between California and South Carolina in the southern United States and northern Mexico, Canada geese are primarily present as migrants from further north during the winter . </P> <P> By the early 20th century, overhunting and loss of habitat in the late 19th century and early 20th century had resulted in a serious decline in the numbers of this bird in its native range . The giant Canada goose subspecies was believed to be extinct in the 1950s until, in 1962, a small flock was discovered wintering in Rochester, Minnesota, by Harold Hanson of the Illinois Natural History Survey . In 1964, the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center was built near Jamestown, North Dakota . Its first director, Harvey K. Nelson, talked Forrest Lee into leaving Minnesota to head the center's Canada goose production and restoration program . Forrest soon had 64 pens with 64 breeding pairs of screened, high - quality birds . The project involved private, state, and federal resources and relied on the expertise and cooperation of many individuals . By the end of 1981, more than 6,000 giant Canada geese had been released at 83 sites in 26 counties in North Dakota . With improved game laws and habitat recreation and preservation programs, their populations have recovered in most of their range, although some local populations, especially of the subspecies B. c. occidentalis, may still be declining . </P>

Where do canada geese migrate to in winter
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