Population Affiliation Of Canada Geese From Six Southern Refuges

Personnel of 6 National Wildlife Refuges in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee captured and neckbanded 1,462 Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) in 1977-80. Of these, 728 individuals were observed 1,430 times in the Mississippi Flyway. These observations and 44 hunting recoveries indicated that geese from the 6 refuges had varying degrees of association with both the Mississippi Valley Population and the Eastern Prairie Population. Geese banded at White River refuge tended to show greater affiliation with the Eastern Prairie Population than did geese banded at 3 other refuges.