Canada Goose
high confidenceBranta canadensis
A goose sitting low—almost certainly incubating a nest—inside a raised concrete planter beside a corrugated metal building. Diagnostic features include the black head and long black neck with a broad white chinstrap patch, pale buff-grey breast, and brown body with neatly barred, pale-edged back and flank feathers. The stocky black bill and large body size fit Canada Goose; urban planters and landscaped edges are classic nesting sites for this adaptable species.
Other possibilities:
- Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) — Nearly identical plumage pattern; separated mainly by smaller size, stubbier bill and shorter neck, and it rarely nests in urban settings in the lower 48.
2026-08-20