could it be Barnacle x Brent? the dark smudging at the borders might suggest this. Here is a link I found
Wouldn't Barnie x Brent (a) be a bit smaller (these if anything look marginally larger than the Barnies), and (b) have shorter tail feathers?
The bills are also dirty pinkish, which hints at an Anser species fot the other parent; Barnie x Brent would have black bill like both parents. My best guess Barnie x Euro Whitefront.
To further illustrate this, here are some Greylag x Barnacle goose hybrids. They often have pinkish legs , but several have rather orange ones. Pale greyish ones also occur.
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/7/12952567.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/7/10673437.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/2/1075782.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/8/7763968.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/6/11692616.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/4/305344.jpg
https://waarnemingen.be/fotonew/8/1104568.jpg
beware , often there´s misidentifications, these are also Greylag x barnacle in my opinion:
https://waarnemingen.be/fotonew/5/7822265.jpg
https://waarnemingen.be/fotonew/7/19216597.jpg
generally the legs in hybrids of the whitefronts x barnacle goose are somewhat orange, and the birds are often very dark, and the bill is smaller. the folowing are probably all GWFG x Barnacle:
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/9/19679709.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/4/15442754.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/8/13828.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/9/3155239.jpg
concerning the head pattern, also snow goose hybrids with barnacle goose occasionally show that (and they have bare part coloration from pale bluegrey to pink:
http://users.utu.fi/hlehto/photo/hybrid/chenxbleu1/_D3A5523_ed.jpg
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/9/123659.jpg
this might also be an option. But mostly snow x barnacle goose has more white (and these certainly never have orange legs)
Hi Joern
Expert analysis as always!
This example you posted (as a hybrid with orange legs) seems to have a lot in common with Bar-headed Goose, including the bill & leg colour and the dark smudge above the leg.
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/7/10673437.jpg
What do you think?
John
At first glance maybe, especially as the bird you picked has very yellow legs, but Barheaded x Barnacle doo look very different, being a more slender , smaller hybrid (and are extremely variable in the head and neck pattern)
Hi Joern
I agree with all of that.
I should have more explicit, I don't see Barnacle Goose in that bird at all. I think the Barnacle-like markings are from a Bar-headed parent.
John
Well. there´s no real book on hybrid wildfowl ID, and the variability is certainly much higher than in pure species. so everybody can go wrong here...
It just wasn´t clear to me to whta species combination you were referring.
I agree that especially the primaries of this bird look strangely pale, either it is the angle in this single photo that gives the primaries this pale coloration;
or, perhaps more likely as also other feathers are relatively pale; maybe a pale domestic greylag was involved, like this one.
http://www.gobirding.eu/Images/Gees...ag Goose, Caerlaverock, 29-Dec-05 (AB2) L.JPG
This can result in rather pale hybrids, as this example of a canada x domestic shows:
https://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/392123601_f239c19a57.jpg
However I have marked what I think is an uniformely dark tail , and the dark area in the bill that would not fit to greylag x barheaded, but points to Branta parent. also black on the nail would be very extensive for a grelag x barhead
here are some greylag x barheaded for comparison:
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/8/12709598.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14195020@N08/29661339237/in/dateposted-public/
https://waarneming.nl/fotonew/2/1085952.jpg
You should write one :king: