The legend of the giant Canada goose spanned many decades before its formal recognition in 1951 as a distinct subspecies. In 1957, the American Ornithologists Union checklist declared it as “now believed to be extinct.” The “rediscovery” of the giant Canada goose took place in Rochester Minnesota in mid-January 1962. Subsequently, captive flocks derived from original regional stocks and wild populations in Manitoba were located. From them, some were captured, propagated and released to new locations, thus leading to the amazing comeback of the Canada goose we see today.

My selection of this familiar bird, as a most interesting subject stems not from its abundance but rather its unusual history. This story is unknown to most people but is one that led to an amazing success. Believed to be extinct, this subspecies – the largest of the Canada goose in the world – was “rediscovered” by my first ornithology lab instructor at the University of Minnesota, Dennis Raveling, and his associate, Dr. Harold Hanson, who later wrote the book The Giant Canada Goose.
– Dick Oehlenschlager, Biology