This is slightly old news, but DNA evidence has been used to confirm that the bird that brought down Captain Sully’s plane into the Hudson this winter was a Canada Goose. Additional chemical analysis revealed that this goose was over-wintering in NY [see clarification below]. If you missed it the first time, Thomas Schmidt explained the role of treaties in the control of these “migratory” birds.
Clarification: The Canada goose in question was indeed migratory between Canada and the US. The goose was not just passing through NY on the way south – although it may have been headed further south at the time of the accident, it had been feeding in NY for some time. The scare quotes in the title are because Canada geese, in general, are seen year-round in the US, but it was perhaps misleading since this goose, in particular, was from Canada.
2:50 pm on June 23, 2009
