'Lesser' Canada Goose (1 Viewer)

Hi all

anyone good on races of Canada Geese - not my strong point.

Saw a very small dark Canada type today at Buckenham as follows:
It was previously seen distantly on Thurs and phoned in as a Richardson's
Slightly smaller than 50+ Barnacles it was with
Largish facial patch of slightly off-white colour (bit like Barnacle)
Smallish bill, smaller than usual Canada and approaching Barnacle in size and shape.
Shorter neck than usual but did not appear so short as pics I've seen of Cackling Canada Goose
Dark breast, flanks and back. Quite a lot darker than usual canadensis colour

And particularly interesting: it had a thin white neck collar at the base of the black neck sock all the way around the neck tho it appeared thinner at back

I think the neck collar is indiciative of Cackling types but I may be mistaken. I've no experience of this type and it may be that the bill and neck are small enough to 'fit' this type. Do Richardson's ever show a neck collar like this?

Plus Caclking's the most commonly kept in captivity after canadensis!!!

Sorry... I've seen a few wee ones, but I've never taken them too seriously, though they score above Snow Geese on my wildfowl rating

Hi Tim

Richardson's Canada goose is a fairly small goose approaching Barnacle Goose in size. It should have a smallish bill on a fairly square head. The bird is generally short necked and fairly short bodied (giving a fairly 'dumpy' appearence). Some do show a white/Pale colour at the neck 'sock' base. They are though generally very pale on the breast.

I have only seen one Richard's, one Todd's and one Taverner's so my experience is limited.

There seems to be great overlap between many of the small Canada Geese forms and I think ID is probably more complicated.

HTH
Regards
Tristan

p.s. I think there is some info on the ID of many CG forms on http://www.oceanwanderers.com

On the face of it this sounds like a minima. Difficult to be sure without images but the plumage sounds OK as does the size. I have pics of one with a Barnacle I will find and post.

Stephen Dunstan said:

On the face of it this sounds like a minima. Difficult to be sure without images but the plumage sounds OK as does the size. I have pics of one with a Barnacle I will find and post.

Click to expand...

many thanks Stephen

there's a good pic of a very similar bird on here: http://www.oceanwanderers.com/CAGO.Subspecies.html
it's like the Aleutian Cackling Goose half way down the page. It has the same colouration, breast band and head shape but a little more of a pale face mark.

not convinced it's a minima-type as I don't think it's small enough or square-headed enough and the bill's not quite stubby enough but it doesn't appear to be a Richardson's, which are described as palest of the pale forms, short and dumpy and with a squareish head. they only rarely have a pale collar too.
Could it be a parvipes or taverni type

I'm surpised people seem able to name these so surely as all the info I can get points to uncertainty still

Hopefully a few folk will go and have a look - there was NO-ONE there today!

Tim,

Subject to the usual Canada health warnings, which are valid in many ways, it could be a hutchinsii. Try Birding World Vol 14 No 2 if you can get hold of it for a dark hutchinsii type and discussion. My experience of minima is they are not much smaller than Barnacles, but if it didn't look like one I'm sure it wasn't.

The picture I referred to can be found on Birdguides by searching on Canada and my name, I can't get at it any other way at present. It is of a mixed minima and Barnacle pair with young - no wonder it gets complicated!

Stephen.

Another thought - the bird in Birding World Plate 12 was in Norfolk in 1999. Geese live quite a while, it isn't too far - could be the same bird?

Stephen.

have since have found examples of Richardson's with breast bands, without very pale breasts and not showing the square head shape quoted in some places.
Could still be hutchinsii then.....

hopefully someone will get some pix soon - get it tomorrow along with the regular Bean Geese, Barnacles and whitefronts that are there