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Discover Nature (Missouri Department of Conservation)

Discover Nature: Canada Goose Nesting

KBIA | By Kyle Felling
Published March 24, 2020 at 5:09 PM CDT
Two adult Canada geese guard their nest bearing three hatched goslings on a grassy pond bank.
Canada geese begin nesting this week in Missouri. For nearly a month, adults lose the ability to fly and devotedly guard their nests on the ground.

This week on Discover Nature, as we all hunker down and do our best to stay home, a reminder that we’re not alone: Missouri’s Canada geese are starting to guard nests.

One of our state’s best-known waterfowl species, Canada geese are common, year-round residents in Missouri. 

In late winter, migratory populations begin returning to the area, signaling the imminent changing of seasons. By early spring, pairs begin nesting in open cups of dried grasses and other vegetation on the ground near bodies of water. 

Geese lay clutches of 3–8 eggs in feather-lined nests, which they will incubate and protect for nearly a month. Adults lose their flight feathers and cannot fly during this incubation period. 

Within a few days of hatching, young goslings will leave the nest, walk, and swim. 

In these uncertain times, observing the habits of grounded geese guarding their nests, offers a reminder to practice patience while guarding our own — and hope, for a future return to flight and freedom.  

Learn more about Canada geese with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online field guide. 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
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Kyle Felling
Kyle Felling’s work at KBIA spans more than three decades. In 2025, he became KBIA and KMUC's Station Manager. He began volunteering at the station while he was a Political Science student at the University of Missouri. After being hired as a full-time announcer, he served as the long-time local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on KBIA, and was Music Director for a number of years. Starting in 2010, Kyle became KBIA’s Program Director, overseeing on-air programming and operations while training and supervising the station’s on-air staff. During that period, KBIA regularly ranked among the top stations in the Columbia market, and among the most listened to stations in the country. He was instrumental in the launch of KBIA’s sister station, Classical 90.5 FM in 2015, and helped to build it into a strong community resource for classical music. Kyle has also worked as an instructor in the MU School of Journalism, training the next generation of journalists and strategic communicators. In his spare time, he enjoys playing competitive pinball, reading comic books and Joan Didion, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band.
See stories by Kyle Felling
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