The first edition of The Giant Canada Goose summarized the history and rediscovery of a supposedly extinct variety (subspecies) of Canada goose - the locally nesting goose that the early farmers and naturalists of the Midwest and eastern plains were familiar with. Hanson notes in the preface to this revision that in a completed, comprehensive study of the taxonomy and evolution of the white-cheeked geese, the giant "Canada" goose will be recognized as a separate species (the giant prairie goose, Branta maxima), which, in turn, is comprised of seven well-defined subspecies. After outlining the history of the rediscovery of the giant Canada goose, Hanson describes its physical characteristics, breeding range, migration patterns, wintering grounds, and nesting patterns. He also covers growth, development, and flightless periods; characteristics of age, sex, and sexual maturity; foods and feeding habits; endoparasites; physiology; behavior; productivity and regulation of populations; and management of populations. He includes seventy-four illustrations, thirty-one tables, two morphometric diagrams, and eleven feather mineral profiles. Hanson bases his findings on more than a quarter of a century of research.
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