[2] Before the early 1900s, this goose was considered a rare species, possibly as a consequence of open hunting, but numbers have increased dramatically as a result of conservation measures.

Related species include other Anser geese, particularly the lesser snow goose,[3] where the two mtDNA lineages imply frequent hybridization.

[6] Two hypotheses about the evolution of Ross's goose are that they arose from a population of snow geese that were isolated by glacial advance[7] or in a refugium that remained ice free.

Landscape in the central Arctic is dominated by flat plains with some rock outcrops and drumlins, wet meadows, and marshy tundra.

[13] A study of ground-based sampling along the McConnell River on the west coast of Hudson Bay reported a population of about 81,000 nesting Ross's geese.

[14] These birds migrate from their Canadian nesting grounds by mid-October, probably in response to limited food before freezing temperatures set in, and begin their return in mid-April to May.

The number of nesting birds in the Queen Maud Gulf hit a record low of 2,000-3,000 in the early 1950s[16] due to extensive shooting and trapping and their subsequent sale in California markets.