15 June 2026
On Saturday at Southside Riverfront Park I found many flight feathers on the ground and fifty Canada geese loafing on shore and in the water.
Molted flight feathers are the first big clue that these Canada geese are in the midst of their annual synchronous molt.
The second clue is their appearance. When Canada geese have all their primaries we cannot see their white rumps — the primaries cover them. These birds have visible white rumps though the bird on the right still has two lingering flight feathers (turquoise box). They’ll be gone soon.
During their flight feather molt from mid-June to August in Pittsburgh, Canada geese make sure they are within walkable range of both food and water. Southside Riverfront Park is the perfect place where they can walk up on shore to eat and run back to the water for safety.
Read more about what is sometimes called a “catastrophic” molt in this vintage article from 2021.
Hi Kate, I love this post. Thank you. Have a wonderful new week.