| a white North American wild goose, previously classified as the species Chen hyperborea but now considered the light color phase of the blue goose, C. caerulescens. |
| snow goose n. A North American wild goose (Chen caerulescens or Anser caerulescens) that breeds in Arctic regions, having a dusky gray color phase when young and a white plumage with black wingtips as an adult. |
snow goose
any of several species of pure-white geese with black wingtips, pink legs, and pink bill with black gape ("grin"), belonging to the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes). Hunters call it "wavey," or "wavy"-from an Indian name. Two main forms are recognized. The lesser snow goose (long called Chen hyperborea hyperborea) breeds in the Arctic and migrates chiefly to California and Japan. The greater snow goose (long called C.h. atlantica) breeds in northwestern Greenland and nearby islands and winters on the east coast of the United States from Chesapeake Bay to North Carolina, especially at Pea Island.
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