Ross' goose and snow goose populations have increased in the last 20 years and now show extensive range overlap. Winter population surveys conducted by state and federal resource agencies in Texas do not distinguish between the 2 species, and their distribution and population trends are assumed to be similar. We examined the relative distributions of Ross' geese and snow geese in the riceprairie and coastal marsh regions of southeast Texas. Our results indicate that both proportion and abundance of Ross' geese in the rice-prairie have increased in the last 20 years, and that white goose flocks in the coastal marsh region are comprised of relatively fewer Ross' geese than snow geese. We suggest that aerial winter population surveys should incorporate ground surveys to address speciesspecific differences in distribution.
