Between October 2005 and September 2006, about 13,160 resident Canada geese were killed in the United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wild Life Service. Most of them were culled in eastern states like New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

'Resident' Canada geese nest in the U.S. and southern parts of Canada. They're one of several kinds of Canada geese, and their numbers have been booming in recent years.

Retired University of Toronto professor Theo Hofmann has studied bird populations and says humans are partly to blame for the population explosion of Canada geese.

Years ago the geese would have naturally flown to vast fields in the southern United States for food during the winter months, he said. But a warmer climate and the continued feeding of geese by people has kept the birds closer to home.