Canada Geese with Young

Geese and swans are famous in the animal kingdom for their faithfulness as partners. They usually mate for life, whereas the normal pattern in most species is to mate with different partners each breeding season, then very often, the male and female part company and they never see each other again. This, of course, relates to the need for both sexes to help with the rearing of the young. In songbirds as well, both are needed. In many other species, from salmon to moose, the male is not needed.

With Canada geese, both parents are involved in rearing the young. The parents stay together season after season. It has been said that if one of the pair dies, the other will not mate again. The gander and goose have different roles. He is the sentinel and defender while she sits on the eggs and generally stays near the young after they have hatched.

In this painting, I have tried to show these roles by the positions of the adult birds. She has a curved neck and is a little more nurturing and demure in her pose. He is alert with his ramrod-like neck and almost militant pose. The young, of course, are not yet at the stage of role playing. they are simply enjoying being young.