Branta canadensis
Order Anseriformes
Family Anatidae
Subfamily Anserinae
Other names: Wild Goose
Adult.— Head and neck black; broad bib of white from sides of head across throat; back and wings brown; under parts whitish; tail black, base white.
The Wild Goose is more often heard than seen, excepting perhaps on the sea-shore. The honking of migrant flocks was once a common sound in March and April, and again from the first of October to the end of December. At favorable points along the coast, and in certain inland ponds, flocks often alight to rest. They then ride on the water, or stand on exposed bars, or feed by pulling up vegetation in the shallow water. When seen at close range, they are easily identified by the black head and neck, and the bib of white across the throat; when flying, they usually form a wedge-shaped flock, two lines converging at a leader. The wing-strokes are then rather slow, compared with those of a duck.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)