Snow Goose & Ross' Goose? (1 Viewer)

A

AdamfromCanada

Well-known member

• Oct 27, 2011

• #1

Here's a picture I took of a huge flock of geese flying high overhead and two crops to get in tighter. I think this is a mixed flock of snow geese & Ross' geese, but would like to confirm. The all-white birds would be Ross', right?

 

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Bird Hard 2

Cynical Sceptic

• Oct 27, 2011

• #2

All (or most) of these are Lesser Snow Geese. The dark birds are the dark-form of Lesser Snow Goose.

 

Andy Hurley

Gotta love nature!

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Oct 27, 2011

• #3

Hi Adam,

as far as i know you get white and dark of each species, with the main difference being size. Ross's l 23" ws 45" wt 2.7 lb (1.25kg) and Snow 28" ws 53" wt 5.3 lb (2.42 kg).
The head shape is diffent too with Ross's being rounder. The bills are different, Ross's is straight where it joins the head, is shorter and with a bluish base. Snow is strongly curved where it joins the head and the lower mandibile has a black patch.
Snow goose Dark morph is more common in the east and scarce in the west. They do interbreed.

Andy

EDIT According to Sibley both migrate down through Alberta to Ontario, with Edmonton being in the flight path

 

Last edited: Oct 27, 2011

F

fugl

Well-known member

• Oct 27, 2011

• #4

Don't see any obvious Ross's in the photos, all the geese appearing to be roughly the same size. Size is hard to accurately judge in photos of this kind, however, so this is not to say there aren't any.

 

Tiraya

San Diego CA

• Oct 27, 2011

• #5

I didn't know dark morphs were that abundant.

Andy Hurley/ said: Edmonton being in the flight path
:C

 

R

Robin Edwards

Well-known member

• Oct 27, 2011

• #6

This site is informative http://www.gobirding.eu/Photos/RosssGoose.php

I believe that dark-phase Ross's Goose is a rarity.

Robin

 

Andy Hurley

Gotta love nature!

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Oct 27, 2011

• #7

I said it was MORE common in the east and scarce in the west, does not mean that they are not rare, but the likelyhood of seeing a dark morph increases in the east.
@ Silverwolf my edit refers to Snow and Ross' migrating south through Alberta, so that in Edmonton you might see both species

Andy