Tule greater white-fronted goose

Tule greater white-fronted goose
Name	Tule greater white-fronted goose
Status	Endangered (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Genus	Anser
Species	albifrons
Subspecies	elgasi
Common name	Tule goose

Contents

Tule greater white-fronted goose is a small, isolated subspecies of the greater white-fronted goose occurring primarily in the western North America flyway. The population is notable for its restricted breeding range, specialized wetland habitat use and long-term conservation attention by agencies such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Its plight has engaged organizations including the National Audubon Society, the World Wildlife Fund, and local conservation districts.

Taxonomy and classification

The Tule greater white-fronted goose is traditionally treated as Anser albifrons elgasi within the family Anatidae; taxonomic treatments have been considered by authorities such as the American Ornithological Society, the British Ornithologists' Union, and the International Ornithologists' Union. Molecular studies using mitochondrial DNA and nuclear markers have been compared against datasets from the Smithsonian Institution, University of California, Berkeley and the Canadian Museum of Nature to resolve relationships with Eurasian populations including those in Iceland, Greenland, and Siberia. Historical descriptions reference collectors and naturalists associated with the United States National Museum and expeditionary work funded by institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Royal Ontario Museum. Debates over subspecific status have involved authors publishing in journals tied to the American Museum of Natural History and the Wilson Ornithological Society.

Adults are similar to other greater white-fronted geese described in field guides maintained by the Audubon Field Guide program and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with orange legs, a black belly band pattern, and a white facial blaze. Plumage comparisons have been made against specimens housed at the Natural History Museum, London, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the British Museum. Identification in the field often references photographic plates published by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and diagnostic keys used by observers from the Pacific Flyway Council, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. Measurements and molt schedules are cited in monographs associated with the American Ornithologists' Union Checklist and surveys conducted by university research groups at University of Washington and Oregon State University.

The Tule goose breeds in a very restricted area of the Alaska Peninsula near coastal tundra and marsh complexes documented by researchers from the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Fall and wintering grounds include agricultural fields and wetlands of the Central Valley (California) and coastal estuaries studied by the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Geological Survey, and regional conservation districts such as the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. Migration routes intersect corridors monitored by the Pacific Flyway Council, with stopovers recorded by the United States Geological Survey and banding programs run in collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Service and Alaska Fish and Game. Habitat descriptions reference work by the Nature Conservancy and assessments under programs run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ramsar Convention site inventories.

Foraging behavior in winter crops and wetlands has been described in studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of California, Davis and the California Waterfowl Association. Flocking dynamics and interspecific interactions involve comparison with species monitored by the Duck Stamp Program, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and telemetry projects funded by the National Science Foundation and carried out at institutions like the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Breeding ecology, nest site selection and chick survival have been investigated through projects affiliated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System, and the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council. Predation pressures reference studies of Arctic predators documented by the National Park Service and Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge researchers. Disease surveillance aligns with veterinary work published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wildlife health programs at the United States Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center.

The Tule goose has been the focus of recovery and listing actions by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and monitoring by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Threats documented by conservation biologists include habitat loss on wintering grounds due to water management decisions by the California Department of Water Resources, agricultural conversion noted by the University of California Natural Reserve System, and disturbance from development projects reviewed under the National Environmental Policy Act. Hunting regulations established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies such as the California Fish and Game Commission influence survival rates, while climate-related impacts on tundra breeding habitat are described in reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Stanford University.

Recovery planning has been coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with state agencies including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, tribal governments, and nongovernmental organizations such as the National Audubon Society and the Ducks Unlimited, Inc.. Habitat protection efforts leverage conservation easements negotiated with the Nature Conservancy and restoration projects funded by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System. Research and monitoring are conducted by teams from University of California, Davis, Oregon State University, University of British Columbia and government scientists from the Canadian Wildlife Service and the United States Geological Survey, often using telemetry supported by the National Science Foundation and coordination through the Pacific Flyway Council. Public outreach and education have involved partners such as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Audubon Society, local landowners, and regional water districts.

Category:Anserinae