July 1st is Canada Day!

We're way past July 1st (so sorry!) but let's learn about Canadian birds anyway :)

Canada Goose Holdings Inc. is a Canadian holding company of winter clothing manufacturers. The company was founded in 1957 by Sam Tick, under the name Metro Sportswear Ltd. Canada Goose markets a wide range of jackets, parkas, vests, hats, gloves, shells and other apparel through various avenues, both wholesale and direct to customer with their own retail stores…

Wait a second!

It’s the WRONG Canada Goose! :P

My bad. Here’s the real deal - Canada Goose the bird, and not the brand.

Canada Geese are not just popular in Canada, they are apparently even considered a part of the Canadian national identity! (At least, that’s what Google is telling me)

For those who have never actually seen a Canada Goose before except when their feathers are stuffed in down jackets, this bird is known for its striking black head and neck, white cheeks, and brown body.

It's native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America (where Canada is) but guess what? It's also been introduced to many other places around the world like the United Kingdom, Ireland and even Japan.

Canada Geese are super adaptable to living in different environments, even - or especially - ones that humans have changed

There are a few other birds like this, such as crows and sparrows, that tend to do well in urban, or sub-urban environments.

Canada Geese known for establishing breeding colonies in urban areas, where they have plenty of food and fewer natural predators. However, this success has also led to them being considered pests in some areas because of their poop, noise, and aggressive behavior. :( They're also definitely not shy when it comes to begging for food, especially if humans are feeding them (even though it's usually against the rules to feed wild animals) and can sometimes get in scuffles with humans when they get too close.

I’m sure many of us are familiar with the stereotype of aggressive asshole geese - in fact, there’s even a video game called Untitled Goose Game, where you play as a horrible goose who wreaks havoc on society!

Canada Goose-related falls and sprained ankles are common injuries in North America. Hundreds of emergency room admissions occur annually as a result of aggressive Canada Geese, and most of these happen in the spring, during mating season.

Today, Canada Geese are one of the most common waterfowl species in North America. Unfortunately, in some cases, lethal culling has been used to control Canada geese in urban or densely populated areas, with methods like egg addling and nest destruction promoted as humane population control methods.

(This practice is not uncommon, and in places like Singapore, we cull pigeons.)

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But also… Did you know that Canada Geese have been involved in bird strikes with aircraft? :( Including the one in the Tom Hanks movie, Sully!!!

A bird strike is what they call it when there’s a collision between a bird and a moving vehicle, like an aeroplane.

Bird strikes with Canada Geese can be super dangerous due to their large size and tendency to fly in flocks. In the United States, Canada geese are the second-most damaging bird strike to airplanes, after turkey vultures.

In fact, in the years between 1990 and 2018, there have been 1,772 known civil aircraft strikes involving Canada geese in the United States, costing over $130 million in damages to aviation. Some of them, unfortunately, were fatal.

Bird strikes have resulted in fatal crashes in the past, leading to efforts to prevent such events through habitat modification, aversion tactics, herding, relocation, and culling of flocks.

Perhaps the MOST well-known incident was the 2009 collision of US Airways Flight 1549 with a flock of migratory Canada geese. This was the true story that inspired the movie Sully: Miracle on the Hudson, with Tom Hanks!

On Jan. 15, 2009, the man known as Captain "Sully" (played by Tom Hanks) deftly, and calmly, landed a plane on the Hudson River minutes after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport when the plane hit a flock of geese (played by real geese who died - nah I’m joking!), disabling its two engines.

Which came first: Canada Goose the brand, or Canada Goose the bird?

You won’t believe it, but the brand actually came first! They may a super cool logo with concept art of an imaginary bird, and when scientists discovered a goose that looked just like the logo, they —

Okay, I am obviously joking, the bird came first 😛

Canada Goose’s history goes back to the year 1957 when it was founded by Sam Tick under the name Metro Sportswear Ltd.

Metro Sportswear was located in a small warehouse in Toronto and specialised in making wool vests, raincoats and snowmobile suits capable of withstanding the harsh cold of Canadian winters. Tick continued making simple, but effective, winter outerwear for several years until a big change came in 1972 when his son-in-law, David Reiss, joined the company.

By 1985, Reiss started trademarking the Metro Sportswear parkas as “Snow Goose”. This name worked well for the company while their market was based in Canada.

However, once they began selling winter coats in Europe in the early 1990’s, the name had to be changed because Snow Goose was already a trademarked name in Europe. They renamed their products “Canada Goose”, and that is the end of this somewhat-boring story of the brand.

(I promised bird fun facts, not brand fun facts!)

Overall, Canada Geese are fascinating birds with a complex relationship with humans, from their adaptability to urban areas to their (deadly) impacts on aviation and their popularity as down-stuffed jackets.

These birds are a testament to the diverse interactions between wildlife and human populations, and efforts continue to manage their populations and conflicts to ensure a harmonious coexistence. 🐦