From Opus

Photo by Marysan
Photo taken: Lindo Lake, Lakeside, California, USA.

Branta hutchinsii

[edit] Identification

55-75cm. Black head and neck, white chinstrap, pale tan to brown breast, brown back, white rump,white undertail, black tail, legs, iris and bill.

[edit] Distribution

North America.

[edit] Taxonomy

There are 5 subspecies.^[1]

• B. h. leucopareia - Aleutian Cackling Goose
  • Aleutian Islands, Alaska
• B. h. hutchinsii - Richardson's Cackling Goose
  • North-central Canada and Greenland
• B. h. minima
  • West Alaska coast to Mackenzie delta
• B. h. asiatica^† - presumed extinct
  • Bering Sea, last record 1914
• B. h. taverneri - Taverner's Cackling Goose
  • Central Alaska to Mackenzie delta

[edit] Habitat

Tundra near ponds and streams, coastal marshes.

[edit] Behaviour

The nest is a shallow depression lined with plant material and down. 2-8 cream eggs are laid.

The diet includes aquatic plants, insects, molluscs and crustaceans.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.

1. All About Birds

[edit] External Links

• Much more information on Cackling Goose in this page