Young birds that have not bred are fairly quiet. The main call of the adult Greater Snow Goose-a loud, nasal whouk or kowk or a kow-luk, resembling a dog’s bark, which it utters at any time-has earned this goose a reputation as the noisiest of waterfowl. In their first fall, juveniles weigh between 1.5 and 3 kg. Adult males may weigh up to 3.5 kg females are a little lighter. The wingspan of an adult Greater Snow Goose can be slightly more than 1.5 m. By the start of their second year, the juveniles are as white as the adults. During their first winter, the young gradually lose their grey feathers, which are replaced by white ones. Their feet and bills are a dark olive-slate colour. Young geese have grey plumage with greyish white patterns. Because the goose constantly digs in the mud in search of food, its head often becomes stained rusty-orange from the traces of iron in the mud. These cutting edges form a blackish arc, called a "grinning patch" or "smile," along each side of the bill on both the upper and lower mandibles. Its feet are pinkish, as is its bill, which is also narrow and rather high and equipped with cutting edges that allow the Greater Snow Goose to feed on the roots of plants that grow on muddy banks. The adult Greater Snow Goose Chen caerulescens atlantica is almost entirely white, except for black primary feathers at the wing tips.
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