Snow goose hybrid? - Düsseldorf [Germany] (1 Viewer)

[David_]

Hi,

I took these pictures last week at the bank of the Rhine in Düsseldorf. Initial I thought of a (feral) snow goose but the dark bill and legs and the plumage made me think of a hybrid. Any ideas what might be the other goose involved? Maybe canada goose or barnacle?

There is a feral snow goose population (since the 1980s) in Neuss about 15km from where I took the photo, but this was one was alone along a group of 80 Canada geese. Also I don't know if the the snow goose group was already back in Neuss on Wednesday when I took the photo (first reports are from Friday), as they regularly spent late summer and first half of autumn in the Netherlands

 

[Maffong]

Looks like a blue morph Snow Goose to me

 

[Hauksen]

Hi David,

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Have you considered Emperor Goose hybridization? Not that I know anything about geese, but the colouring of the beak seems to match some Emperor Goose pictures I came across.

(I once saw a Barnacle x Emperor goose hybrid near Hamburg, but it looked quite different.)

Regards,

Henning

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

This seems to be a Snow goose x Barnacle goose hybrid . Too much white for emperor x Barnacle

small bill, different leg color and tail pattern in comparison to blue morph snow goose

 

[David_]

Thank you!