This is BirdNode.

The lilting voice of this goose inspired a nickname, the Laughing Goose.

They're also known as speckle bellies or specks for the diagnostic dark markings on their

grey-brown bellies, but if you want their official name, you'll find them in a field

guide as the greater white-fronted goose.

Little smaller than Canada geese, these grey-brown birds are named for the band of white around

the base of their pinkish orange bills.

Greater white-fronted geese nest in the high Arctic across North America and from Greenland

to Siberia.

In fall and winter, they can be seen in Texas, Louisiana, California, and Mexico.

Big bombs are enduring, longer than among other geese.

Brood stay together through the first winter and the following spring on the breeding grounds,

where last year's young may help defend the nest from predators.

The relationships between parents and siblings may endure lifelong.

As geese go, white-fronted geese are especially strong athletic flyers.

When family groups come into land at a roost, they employ a slip-sliding or falling leaf

maneuver to quickly lose altitude from over a thousand feet above the ground.

Parod those stunts with their laughter and flight, and you've got one iconic goose.

For Bird Nook, I'm Michael Stein.