From Oregon Fields to Arctic Skies: GPS and Genetic Science Used to Study Geese in Pacific Flyway
A multi-state effort follows Lesser Canada and Taverner’s cackling geese across the Pacific Flyway
May 21, 2025 •
3
min read
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) Biologists, DU Biologist Kelly Warren, private landowners, and DSD Staff assisting in a successful goose capture.
VANCOUVER, Wash. – May 21, 2025 – Every year, flocks of Lesser Canada and Taverner’s cackling geese crisscross the skies of the Pacific Flyway. Still, despite their visible presence, much about their lives remains a mystery. Where exactly do they nest? How do they move across the landscape? And how can we better manage their populations in a changing world? A new study is taking flight to answer those questions, with technology, teamwork, and a lot of grit.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), in collaboration with Ducks Unlimited (DU), the Washington and Oregon Departments of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is leading a comprehensive effort to track and study these geese across their range. By outfitting birds with GPS-GSM collars, the team collects high-resolution data on migration routes, seasonal habitats, and survival rates, and information critical for guiding conservation and harvest management.
Capturing and collaring these birds is no easy task. In March, ADFG biologists traveled to western Oregon, where they worked with partners to deploy collars in newly targeted areas. Using a combination of decoys, bait and rocket nets, teams captured geese safely, then banded, collared, and released them. Trail cameras and optics help ensure careful execution of each capture, minimizing stress on the birds.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) Waterfowl Biologist Tasha Dimarzio with a freshly collared goose and next to the donated decoys from Dave Smith Decoys (DSD) that lured the goose in range of the net
Because these subspecies are notoriously hard to distinguish in the field, researchers are also turning to genetics. Each collared bird is sampled for DNA to confirm whether it’s a Lesser Canada or a Taverner’s cackling goose, ensuring the accuracy of the data that will shape future management.
DU has supported this work with both funding and hands-on field assistance. Through a partnership with Dave Smith Decoys, the study has received specialized decoys, while DU's Alaska Born to Fly Initiative, aimed at supporting waterfowl science in the Pacific Flyway, has provided critical financial resources for the effort.
ADFG and its partners respectfully ask hunters not to intentionally target birds wearing tracking collars. These birds provide researchers with critical data that help guide wildlife management and conservation efforts. If a collared bird is harvested, hunters should report it right away using the contact information on the collar and return it as soon as possible. Returned collars allow researchers to recover important data and redeploy the equipment. As a thank-you, hunters who turn in collars will receive a replica collar and a personalized map showing the bird’s journey.
This study represents a collective effort between scientists, wildlife managers, and hunters. Together, they’re working to ensure these geese are not only better understood, but thriving, for generations to come.
This map illustrates the annual migration cycles of three Taverner’s Cackling Geese (Lesser Canada Geese), providing valuable insights into their breeding, wintering, staging, and daily routines. The data helps Ducks Unlimited identify key habitats and better understand the ecology of these white-cheeked goose subspecies.
Please visit the new DU Media Toolkit page for essential resources about Ducks Unlimited’s conservation mission.
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 19 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. DU is growing its mission through a historic $3 billion Conservation For A Continent capital campaign. Learn more at www.ducks.org.
Media Contact:
Molly Jarone
(916) 903-9199
mjarone@ducks.org
