Yosemite Hikes Home » Outside Yosemite » Merced National Wildlife Refuge » Geese
Geese at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

Geese

The white geese you'll see by the tens of thousands at the refuge in the winter will be mostly Ross's and Snow Geese. Both species are primarily white-bodied birds with black wingtips, and the easiest way to distinguish them is probably by their beaks: Snow Geese have longer beaks with a pronounced dark stripe running along their length. The Snow Geese below haven't acquired the typical adult white coloring yet, but they do show the need-a-new-dentist beaks well. Snow Geese are also a bit larger and longer-necked than Ross's Geese.

White Morph Snow Geese at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

Juvenile Snow Geese

Ross's Geese at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

Ross's Geese

Geese in flight over the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

A Great Many More Geese