THE SOUTHWESTERN NATURALIST 48(3):365–372
SEPTEMBER 2003
BREEDING GROUND AFFILIATION AND MOVEMENTS OF GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE STAGING IN NORTHWESTERN TEXAS
JAMES T. ANDERSON
AND
DAVID A. HAUKOS*
Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-2125 (JTA)
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management,
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-2125 (DAH)
Present Address of JTA: Wildlife and Fisheries Program, Division of Forestry, West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
* Correspondent: davidphaukos@fws.gov
ABSTRACT Data from neck-band observations were used to determine breeding-ground affiliation, period of use, and winter movement patterns of greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons
frontalis) observed in the Winchester Lakes region of northwestern Texas. Over 1,265 observations
of nearly 800 individual neck-banded geese (3.2% of all neck-banded white-fronted geese in North
America) were recorded in the region from 1988 through 1996. More than 4,200 observations of
these individuals were recorded throughout North America. Observations peaked in November
and February, indicating that the Winchester Lakes region is a migratory staging area for whitefronted geese. Only 6% of the birds in this region remained throughout the winter. Most birds
staging in the Winchester Lakes region wintered in the rice prairies of coastal Texas and interior
Mexico. Eighty-eight percent of the neck-banded geese were from the western portion of the
midcontinent population of greater white-fronted geese, primarily representing Interior-Northwest
Alaska, Yukon, and Anderson River breeding populations. These breeding populations are characterized by declining trends in population size and survival rates. The status (e.g., population
trends, productivity, survival) of these breeding populations must be considered when managing
birds in the Winchester Lakes region.
RESUMEN Para determinar la afiliación con lugares de reproducción, uso temporal, y patrones
de desplazamiento invernal, se analizaron observaciones del ganso frente blanca (Anser albifrons
frontalis), con collares, en la región de los lagos Winchester del noroeste de Texas. En esta región
entre 1988 y 1996, se registraron más de 1,265 observaciones de casi 800 gansos con collares
(3.2% de todos los gansos frente blanca con collares en Norteamérica). Más de 4,200 observaciones de estos individuos fueron registradas a través de Norteamérica. Las observaciones alcanzaron
su máximo en noviembre y febrero, indicando que la región de los lagos Winchester es un área
de estadı́a migratoria para el ganso frente blanca. Sólo 6% de estas aves permaneció en la región
a través del invierno. La mayorı́a de las aves que se quedó en la región de los lagos Winchester
invernó en las praderas de arroz de la costa de Texas y en el interior de México. Ochenta y ocho
por ciento de los gansos frente blanca con collares procedió de la zona oeste de la población
mediocontinental de esta especie, los que representan principalmente el noroeste e interior de
Alaska, Yukon, y las poblaciones reproductivas del Rı́o Anderson. Estas poblaciones reproductivas
están caracterizadas por tendencias decrecientes del tamaño poblacional y de las tasas de sobrevivencia. El estado (o sea, la tendencia poblacional, la productividad, la sobrevivencia) de estas
poblaciones reproductivas debe ser considerado al manejar estas poblaciones en la región de los
lagos Winchester.
The greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons frontalis) has the broadest latitudinal
range of any arctic-nesting goose species in
North America and is comprised of the Pacific
and midcontinent populations (Ely and Dzubin, 1994). The Pacific population breeds
throughout the Yukon-Kuskowin Delta in Alaska and winters primarily west of the Rocky
Mountains from southern Canada to Sonora
and Sinaloa, Mexico (Ely and Dzubin, 1994).
The midcontinent population breeds throughout a large portion of interior Alaska to Hud-
366
The Southwestern Naturalist
son Bay, Canada (Bellrose, 1980; King and
Derksen, 1986; Sullivan, 1998; Haukos, 2001).
During winter, portions of the midcontinent
population are most abundant in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley in eastern Arkansas, coastal
Louisiana and Texas, and the Mexican states
of Tamaulipas and Vera Cruz (Ely and Dzubin,
1994). They might winter farther north during
mild winters in lower Midwestern and Great
Plains states (Ely and Dzubin, 1994).
The midcontinent population has maintained a relatively stable population from 1992
through 2000, with an average count of
845,514 (range 5 622,200 to 1,129,378) based
on the cooperative fall survey conducted in
Saskatchewan, which is the official monitoring
survey of greater white-fronted geese (Sullivan,
1998; Haukos, 2001). In contrast to the midcontinent population, white-fronted geese in
Interior-Northwest Alaska (about 10% of the
overall midcontinent population) have exhibited declining trends since 1983 (Spindler et
al., 1999), and Interior Alaska birds have exhibited lower survival rates compared to other
populations (Ely and Schmutz, 1999).
Migration staging and wintering locations
for a large portion of the midcontinent population of white-fronted geese are unfortunately
unknown (Ely and Dzubin, 1994). The Winchester Lakes wetlands complex in the Rolling
Plains of northwestern Texas has recently (ca.
1990) begun to be used by white-fronted geese
(Haukos, 2001). The number of white-fronted
geese using the Winchester Lakes region varies
annually, but totaled greater than 100,000
birds during a survey in early February 1995
( J. Winship and J. Haskins, United States Fish
and Wildlife Service, pers. comm.). However,
not more than 10,000 white-fronted geese have
been recorded during the annual cooperative
midwinter waterfowl inventory in early January
( J. Ray, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,
pers. comm.; Haukos, 2001). Despite potentially large numbers of white-fronted geese in
this region, little is known about the breedingground affiliations, movements, and period of
use by this population in the Winchester Lakes
region. Such information would aid in setting
regional harvest regulations and understanding potential impacts of events occurring during migration and wintering periods on recognized breeding populations of greater whitefronted geese.
vol. 48, no. 3
METHODS The Winchester Lakes region (33809 to
338509N, 9983 to 998569W) of northwestern Texas was
the focal area of the study. This area is located in
the Rolling Plains of Texas and encompasses portions of Knox, Baylor, Haskell, and Throckmorton
counties. The region is characterized by native grassland, with scattered mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)
and juniper (Juniperus), with cropland, principally
winter wheat, interspersed; the primary landuse is
cattle production. Wetlands used by white-fronted
geese in the region are comprised of approximately
10 named depressional wetlands (e.g., Winchester
Lake, Thompson Lake, Zahn Lake), nearly 50 small
(,3 ha) livestock tanks, and 3 larger (25 to 100 ha)
impoundments (Benjamin, Davis, Catharine lakes).
Wetland availability varies considerably in response
to precipitation, with only the larger impoundments
containing reliable water through extended
drought. Most of the wetlands are characterized by
open water with a narrow ring of emergent vegetation (e.g., Typha and Scirpus). Larger impoundments
are surrounded by woody vegetation (e.g., mesquite,
juniper, and salt cedar [Tamarix]). All wetlands are
on or surrounded by private land.
Neck-Band Data As part of a continental neckbanding project, 24,548 greater white-fronted geese
from throughout their breeding range were captured and fitted with individually-coded neck bands
from 1988 to 1996. Personnel from the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Tech University, and
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department observed and
recorded neck-banded geese between 1991 and 1998
in the Winchester Lakes region. Other participants
in the project recorded neck bands throughout Canada, United States, and Mexico.
We obtained all continental neck-band observations for white-fronted geese that were seen at least
once in the Winchester Lakes region between 1991
and 1998 from the neck-band database maintained
by the Canadian Wildlife Service. The first observation of a neck-banded white-fronted goose in the region occurred on 16 March 1991 and the final observation was on 15 February 1998. The earliest calendar date a bird was observed was 28 October 1995
with the latest 16 March 1991. Most observations of
neck-banded geese in the region were recorded during 1995 (33% of 1,265 total observations) and 1996
(56% of observations), when a Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department biologist and personnel from
Texas Tech University surveyed the area daily from
November through February. In other years, neck
bands were recorded on a weekly basis following reports of white-fronted geese arriving in the region.
Statistical Analyses Latitude and longitude data
were entered into a geographic information system;
observations were subsequently mapped with the aid
of this technology. We used each unique neck-banded goose to test for differences based on breeding-
September 2003
Anderson and Haukos—Breeding ground affiliation of white-fronted geese staging in Texas
TABLE 1—Number of white-fronted geese neckbanded on breeding grounds by year and observed
(October to March) in the Winchester Lakes region
of northwestern Texas, 1991 to 1998.
Number of Banded birds
Banding
Number
unique birds observed
year
neck-banded
recorded
(%)
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
Total
407
446
3,412
3,253
3,651
3,546
5,614
2,947
1,272
24,548
3
0
73
60
105
149
334
66
7
797
0.74
0.00
2.14
1.84
2.88
4.20
5.95
2.24
0.55
3.25
ground affiliation of birds observed in the Winchester Lakes region. We determined wintering-ground
affiliation (farthest south observation) on birds for
which there were multiple observations from the
same winter. We used contingency tables with a Gtest (Sokal and Rohlf, 1995) to test for differences
in frequency of occurrence of neck-collared geese
(number observed and number banded) on breeding and wintering areas. We set a 5 0.05 to test overall significance of a test and a 5 0.01 to test for
differences between pairs of factors following a significant overall test.
RESULTS Seven hundred ninety-seven neckbanded white-fronted geese were observed between 1991 and 1998 in the Winchester Lakes
region of northwestern Texas (Table 1; Fig. 1).
These birds were observed 4,266 times at Winchester Lakes and other areas throughout
North America. Eighty birds (10.04%) were observed at the Winchester Lakes region during
more than 1 winter. Four white-fronted geese
were observed in 3 successive years. Five geese
were observed twice, with the second observation occurring 4 years after the first.
Approximately 80% of neck-banded whitefronted geese observations occurred from late
January through February, but more than 100
observations were recorded during late November (Fig. 2). Birds typically arrived in the
Winchester Lakes region during the fall migration after stopping in Nebraska, with observation in Winchester Lakes peaking during late
November. Most birds left the Winchester
Lakes region in early December, continuing
367
south to winter in the Texas rice prairies, Louisiana, and Mexico. During the northward migration, white-fronted geese increased in abundance in the Winchester Lakes region from
early January through February (Fig. 2). Most
birds left before March and were recorded in
Nebraska within 2 weeks after their last observation at Winchester Lakes.
Anser albifrons frontalis neck-banded in Alaska comprised 69% of the unique neck-banded
geese observed in the Winchester Lakes region. Frequency of neck-banded white-fronted geese differed among banding areas (G5 5
890.5, P , 0.001; Table 2). About 9% of birds
neck-banded in interior Alaska and in the Yukon area of Old Crow Flats were observed in
the Winchester Lakes region (Fig. 3), but only
0.5% of Inglis River birds (eastern-most Arctic
banding location) were observed (Table 2).
Most of the birds banded in Alaska and recorded in the Winchester Lakes region were
from Innoko National Wildlife Refuge
(55.7%), but Koyukuk (17.9%), Kanuti
(13.2%), and Selawik (10.1%) national wildlife refuges, and the Colville River Delta
(2.9%) also were represented. Overall, 3.3%
of the 24,548 white-fronted geese banded on
6 Arctic breeding areas from 1988 to 1996
were observed in the Winchester Lakes region.
There were 59 neck-banded white-fronted
geese (7.4% of recorded banded birds) observed in both the Winchester Lakes region
and Mexico (Table 3). The frequency of neckbanded white-fronted geese observed in Mexico and associated with the Winchester Lakes
region differed among banding areas (G5 5
12.8, P 5 0.02). The highest proportion of
neck-banded white-fronted geese observed in
Mexico and northwestern Texas were from
the Queen Maud Gulf and Yukon (Old Crow
Flats) areas (Table 3). Almost 13% of Queen
Maud Gulf birds seen at Winchester Lakes
were also seen in Mexico, but only 1 Central
Arctic West bird was observed in both localities. The largest number of white-fronted
geese seen in Winchester Lakes and Mexico
were from Alaska, primarily from Innoko
(65.2%) and Selawik (13.0%) national wildlife
refuges. There were no Inglis River birds observed in both Mexico and the Winchester
Lakes region.
Based on 4,266 observations of 797 unique
368
The Southwestern Naturalist
vol. 48, no. 3
FIG. 1 Location of 4,266 observations of neck-banded white-fronted geese from 6 breeding locations
associated with the Winchester Lakes region of northwestern Texas, 1991 to 1998.
white-fronted geese observed in the Winchester Lakes region, 77.4% and 7.4% of these individual birds were also seen in Canada and
Mexico, respectively (Table 4). Observations of
individual birds recorded from the Winchester
Lakes region were primarily in Alberta
(36.3%), Saskatchewan (67.4%), Nebraska
(35.6%), and Texas rice prairies (21.3%).
September 2003
Anderson and Haukos—Breeding ground affiliation of white-fronted geese staging in Texas
369
FIG. 2 Temporal distribution of observations (2-week intervals) for neck-banded white-fronted geese in
Winchester Lakes region of northwestern Texas, 1991 to 1998.
TABLE 2—Breeding ground affiliation of neckbanded white-fronted geese observed (October to
March) in the Winchester Lakes region of northwestern Texas, 1991 to 1998.
Neck-banded geese
observed
Banding area
Interior Alaska
Yukon (Old Crow Flats)
Anderson River
Queen Maud Gulf
Central Arctic West
Inglis River
Totals
Total
banded Observed
(num(num- Observed
ber)
ber)
(%)1
5,799
323
5,668
5,933
4,173
2,652
24,548
545
27
134
48
31
12
797
9.40a
8.36a
2.36b
0.80c
0.74c
0.45c
3.25
1 Same letter following percentage indicates no difference (a 5 0.01) based on G-test.
Eighty birds observed in the Winchester
Lakes region were encountered again during
the same winter (October through March).
These birds wintered primarily in the Texas
rice prairies (53), with many traveling to interior Mexico (17) and Louisiana coast (5).
There seems to be a regular exchange of whitefronted geese between northwestern Texas and
the rice prairies of Texas, because several birds
were observed multiple times at each location
during the same winter. Approximately 6% of
the individual neck-banded white-fronted
geese were observed each month in the Winchester Lakes region, indicating some use of
the area as a wintering area.
DISCUSSION The Winchester Lakes region
of northwestern Texas serves primarily as a
staging area for spring and fall migrants of the
midcontinent population of greater whitefronted geese. Birds staging in the Winchester
Lakes region predominately winter in Mexico
and the rice prairies of the Texas Gulf Coast
370
The Southwestern Naturalist
vol. 48, no. 3
FIG. 3 Location of 2,989 observations of neck-banded white-fronted geese from interior Alaska and
associated with Winchester Lakes region of northwestern Texas, 1991 to 1998.
September 2003
Anderson and Haukos—Breeding ground affiliation of white-fronted geese staging in Texas
TABLE 3—Breeding ground affiliation of neckbanded white-fronted geese observed (October to
March) in both Mexico and Winchester Lakes region of northwestern Texas, 1991 to 1998.
Neck-banded geese
observed
Banding area
Queen Maud Gulf
Yukon (Old Crow Flats)
Interior Alaska
Central Arctic West
Anderson River
Inglis River
Total
Texas Mexico
(num- (number)
ber)
48
27
545
31
134
12
797
6
3
46
1
3
0
59
Mexico
(%)1
12.50a
11.11a
8.44b
3.23bc
2.24c
0.00c
7.40
1 Same letter following percentage indicates no difference (a 5 0.01) based on G-test.
371
region. During spring migration, white-fronted
geese observed in the Winchester Lakes region
travel to the Rainwater Basins of Nebraska and
then onward to the prairies of southern Saskatchewan and Alberta prior to traveling to
their respective breeding grounds.
Decisions regarding length of hunting seasons and associated harvest limits for northwestern Texas must consider the status of
white-fronted geese from Interior-Northwest
Alaska, Yukon, and Anderson River areas (western portion of midcontinent population). Status of populations from the Anderson River
area and Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge in
Alaska should receive additional consideration,
as white-fronted geese from these areas tend to
be winter residents in the Winchester Lakes region. Although use varies by breeding area, the
Winchester Lakes region provides habitat for a
significant portion of the midcontinent population of greater white-fronted geese. Addition-
TABLE 4—Number of neck-banded white-fronted geese observed by state or province that occurred (October to March) in Winchester Lakes Region of northwestern Texas, 1991 to 1998.
Area
Canada
Alberta
Northwest Territory
Saskatchewan
1,913
480
2
1,431
44.84
11.25
0.05
33.54
617
289
2
537
77.42
36.26
0.25
67.38
78
3
18
48
9
1.83
0.07
0.42
1.13
0.21
59
3
17
32
9
7.40
0.38
2.13
4.02
1.13
Mexico
Chihuahua
Durango
Tamaulipas
Zacatecas
Observations
by area (%)
Number of
unique
individuals
Number of
observations
Individuals
by area (%)
United States
Alaska
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Kansas
Louisiana
Missouri
Nebraska
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Texas
(Rice Prairies)
(Winchester Lakes)
2,275
19
3
1
2
65
48
1
515
17
48
18
53.33
0.45
0.07
0.02
0.05
1.52
1.13
0.02
12.07
0.40
1.13
0.42
797
19
3
1
2
48
31
1
284
16
22
15
100.00
2.38
0.38
0.13
0.25
6.02
3.89
0.13
35.63
2.01
2.76
1.88
273
1,265
6.40
29.65
170
797
21.33
100.00
Totals
4,266
100.00
797
100.00
372
The Southwestern Naturalist
al investigations should delineate white-fronted
goose-habitat relationships in the Winchester
Lakes region and assess effects of hunter harvest and other mortality factors in the region
on the various breeding populations to better
manage geese using the area.
We thank J. Haskins and the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service (Region 2) for providing funding to complete the study. D. Nieman and K. Meeres,
Canadian Wildlife Service, assisted in procuring
neck-band data. L. Smith, R. Cox, Jr., R. Malecki,
and J. Ray provided critical reviews of the manuscript. I. M. Ortega provided the Spanish translation
of the abstract.
LITERATURE CITED
BELLROSE, F. C. 1980. Ducks, geese and swans of
North America, third edition. Stackpole Books,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
ELY, C. R., AND A. X. DZUBIN. 1994. Greater whitefronted goose (Anser albifrons). In: Poole, A., and
F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America, number 131. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union,
Washington, D.C.
ELY, C. R., AND J. A. SCHMUTZ. 1999. Characteristics
vol. 48, no. 3
of midcontinent greater white-fronted geese
from interior Alaska: distribution, migration ecology, and survival. Central Flyway Report, United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado.
HAUKOS, D. A. 2001. Analyses of selected mid-winter
waterfowl survey data (1955–2000): Region 2
(Central Flyway). United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
KING, J. G., AND D. V. DERKSEN. 1986. Alaska goose
populations: past, present, and future. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural
Resources Conference 51:464–479.
SOKAL, R. R., AND F. J. ROHLF. 1995. Biometry, third
edition. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York.
SPINDLER, M. A., J. M. LOWE, AND J. Y. FUJIKAWA. 1999.
Trends in abundance and productivity of whitefronted geese in the taiga of northwestern and
interior Alaska. Central Flyway Report, United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado.
SULLIVAN, B. 1998. Management plan for midcontinent greater white-fronted geese. Central Flyway
Report, United States Fish and Wildlife Service,
Denver, Colorado.
Submitted 31 May 2000. Accepted 12 July 2002.
Associate Editor was William H. Baltosser.