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Cackling Goose? - Ottawa, ON (1 Viewer)

tril42

Suzanne Britton
Canada
I'm wondering if the goose with the arrow pointing at it is a Cackling, or just a short-billed Canada. Photographed today (Oct. 13th) at Andrew Haydon Park.
 

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Body size is the same as the rest. So if the rest are Canadas, then I think it's a Canada
They do all look shorter billed than the ones I see on the west coast.
 
I don't think size alone can determine--there is overlap between the size of the smallest Canada Geese and the largest Cackling. I don't know if this goose's bill is stubby enough for it to be a Cackling, though.
 
I personally would not be comfortable with Cackling in this case. Certain features do suggest it (especially head and bill), but I notice a few things here.

1. Same size as the rest of the geese (already covered and responded to in posts above, though)
2. Same color as surrounding birds (Cackling often paler, especially on feather edges but there should be an overall paler tone)
3. To me the head and neck look "pasted on" to the seemingly robust and long body, which strikes me as wrong for Cackling.

What is going on with the other geese, though? They all look to be around the same size, and many birds seem to show muted Cackling characteristics while others look like fairly standard Canadas.
 
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