Aleutian Canada geese once nested in the outer two-thirds of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and in the Commander and Kuril Islands of the Soviet Union. Predation by arctic foxes introduced to these islands was primarily responsible for reducing this ?subspecies to a population of approximately 800 birds in 1975 which is known to breed on only a single, remote volcanic island (Buldir) near the western end of the Aleutians. The bird has now been officially designated as an endangered species. The program to restore the population to a safer level includes a study of the breeding birds on Buldir Island, removal of foxes from selected former nesting islands, propagation and release of captive-reared birds on these islands, and determination and study of migration and wintering areas.
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