I posted this one in Avian, I think it is a Lesser Canada Goose
but Szimi pointed out it might be a Cackling Goose.
I would appreciate opinions, Canada or Cackling and why?
Thanks,
I posted this one in Avian, I think it is a Lesser Canada Goose
but Szimi pointed out it might be a Cackling Goose.
I would appreciate opinions, Canada or Cackling and why?
Thanks,
Here's another image of the same bird (I hope posting two images is OK in this case)
I believe this is a Cackling Goose.
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When and where was the photo taken? I'm not sold on this being a Cackling Goose; Cackling Goose typically shows a very stubby bill, as compared to this.
The other day I went to an area with Canada Geese and their size range was quite surprising. According to a birder who is more experienced they were all Canada Geese. Isn't there also a difference between resident and migrating Canada Geese?
http://www.sibleyguides.com/2007/07/...-canada-goose/ This might be of help.
Jim
Ilija, no guarantees but I'd put my money on a Canada. Some of the taxa are pretty hard if not impossible to distinguish (try separating parvipes and taverneri). In your case the most likely cackler would be Hutchinson's which if memory serves me right is generally darker (and smaller billed) than the individual you show.
I'm inclined to think this is one of the small Canada subspecies. Do you have a shot of the whole bird, preferably from a frontward angle?
Thanks Declan, my thinking was along the same lines
Here's a link to the original post:
http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=56605
Keep practicing as things are likely to get much more confusing than they are now. The ongoing genetic studies are showing a lot going on in these seemingly similar birds. Odds are before long you will think only having to distinguish two species as "the good old days.' Lucky for you much of the complications tend to be in the west.
I would post to MassBird.org and ask them there have been cackling geese reported in Mass
Suggest that if possible you try to take a photo showing not only the goose in question, but other geese and ducks around it (in same photo). Cackling is normally about the same size as a mallard. This helps in any ID as size is hard to determine without some other item in the photo of a known size.
John
Last edited by John T. Watson; 02-14-2010 at 09:20 PM. Reason: correct format
John,
The size of this bird was somewhat in between a typical atlantic race Canada goose and a Mallard.
You are right that Cacling is about the size of a Mallard but I believe that is correct only for the 'minima' sub-species.
The other two sub-species of Cackling overlap in size with Canada and that is the problem here.
It would be easy to distinguish a small Cackling from a large Canada sub-species.
There is however an overlap in size between the Cackling and Lesser Canada.
I posted the question on MASSBIRD and got only two answers, both Canada Goose.
It seems to me that at this point it is very difficult to get a positiove ID
of "problematic" Canada/Cackling midsized birds showing features of both.
I think this is a Canada but not sure about the sub-species.