Goose at Kew Gardens, London (1 Viewer)

[AlanR]

I just wondered what the bird on the left is. Seen at Kew Gardens at the end of May so possibly not completely wild, it looks a bit bigger than the Greylag also shown.
Could it be a Greylag x Bar-headed hybrid or is it just an unusual variation of Greylag?
Alan

 

[Jimthetall]

Looks like emperor goose.

 

[AlanR]

Looks like emperor goose.

B Thanks, I can see the resemblance.
So, definitely not wild then!:t:
Alan

 

[LMN]

The right hand bird is not a Greylag, looks more like Lesser Whitefront or Lesser whitefront hybrid to mee!

Cheers

Lars Michael

 

[AlanR]

The right hand bird is not a Greylag, looks more like Lesser Whitefront or Lesser whitefront hybrid to mee!

Cheers

Lars Michael

Thanks. I suppose that was not wild either!
Alan

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Any more Pictures of the righthand bird? lefthand bird is Emperor Goose, but righthand bird looks like a hybrid whitefront species x barheaded goose on first glance (This type of hybrid is very whitefront-like)

 

[htcdude]

I know there's a few Bar-headed Geese at Kew (took me a while to work out what they were!)

Here's one I saw:

http://www.pbase.com/htcdude/image/67404308

Could it be a Greylag hybrid of some sort? Or maybe even the Lesser White-fronted Goose?

http://www.birdingholland.com/GreaterWhite-frontedGoose01.jpg

Nige

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

for comparison, in this link there is a hybrid Barheaded x greater whitefront just left and in front of the barheaded goose on this photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8209127@N04/3120630055/sizes/l/

 

[Tib78]

What about emperor x whitefront sp Joern? Have you ever seen that combination?

The hybrid Bar-headed x Greater whitefront you have linked has seemingly a much lighter back (Bar-headed influence for sure) than the subject hybrid. Emperor being darker backed than Bar-headed...well you see what I mean...just a suggestion!

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

What about emperor x whitefront sp Joern? Have you ever seen that combination?

The hybrid Bar-headed x Greater whitefront you have linked has seemingly a much lighter back (Bar-headed influence for sure) than the subject hybrid. Emperor being darker backed than Bar-headed...well you see what I mean...just a suggestion!

Emperor x whitefront I have seen so far look different:

scroll down on this page on emperor goose, last bird is hybrid emperor x greater whitefront:

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/NDG/BRKEmperor.html#EmpX


This individual here is probably emperor x lesser whitefront:

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=70554&d=1170074996

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=4385

The shade of the Back of hybrids Whitefront x Barheaded goose seems to vary between individual birds, but I do not hae a photo series to show this.

Here is a photo of a hybrid Lesser whitefront x barheaded Goose (with a lesser whitefront in front), captive birds with known parentage, photographed by Gentoo:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v359/acecool/DSC00621.jpg

 

[LMN]

On my screen the beye ring looks yellowish on the hybrid bird, if this is not due to the photo it might suggest LWF origin.

 

[AlanR]

It probably won't help but here is the only other shot I took of these two geese.
Alan
[By a strange coincidence I saw a couple of 'wild' Emperor Geese a few days ago, at South Walney. Apparently a group of about a dozen are known escapees.]

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

It probably won't help but here is the only other shot I took of these two geese.
Alan
[By a strange coincidence I saw a couple of 'wild' Emperor Geese a few days ago, at South Walney. Apparently a group of about a dozen are known escapees.]

Found another Shot of "your" Hybrid Whitefront; together with a Bar-headed Goose.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpellegrini/3623623994/

I think it is Greater whitefront x Bar-headed Goose, like this one close to the Bar-headed goose probably also is:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/hybridbirds/discuss/72157613164871998/?search=bar-headed

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neufelder/2288750609/

Assuming this is the same goose, the case is (nearly) closed!

It is clearly Bar-headed x one of the whitefronts,

and i am still inclined to think Greater WF (Due to bill and head shape), but i could be wrong in this respect....

 

[AlanR]

Thanks for all the comments.
Alan

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

This is interesting-I was alerted to this by friends: it seems there are at least 2 birds involved , one at st james which has a slightly longer bill and no clearly yellow eyering, and another one at Kew with a slightly shorter bill and a clear yellow eyering....

photos of both from Flickr:

ST James
http://www.flickr.com/photos/that_james/512614714/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/that_james/512615422/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/that_james/512614306/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10260831@N02/2218601416/

Kew
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnaalex/2423531354/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35006307@N03/3570639121/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jack_tt_lee/2327864804/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neufelder/2288750609/

so maybe we have both combinations :
Greater x barhead at St James
and Lesser x Barhead at Kew

To be really sure, We d need the DNA here I guess

 

[James Emerson]

This is interesting-I was alerted to this by friends: it seems there are at least 2 birds involved , one at st james which has a slightly longer bill and no clearly yellow eyering, and another one at Kew with a slightly shorter bill and a clear yellow eyering....

photos of both from Flickr:

ST James

so maybe we have both combinations :
Greater x barhead at St James
and Lesser x Barhead at Kew

To be really sure, We d need the DNA here I guess

I photographed this goose in St James' Park about 3 weeks ago. It was associating with Bar-headed Geese and close to Greylags. As I didn't see any other Anser species, I presumed it was a Bar-headed x Greylag, and that the white near the bill came from the Bar-headed?

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

No that is a Barheaded x Whitefront (probably greater WF),and probably the same bird as already linked,

compare with this Barheaded x Greylag:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joachim_s_mueller/3551711478/sizes/l/

Barheaded x Greylag can also have white at the base of upper mandible, diferent from this bird here , but in general you also see a "ghost" of barheaded head pattern on the head, like in the bird linked above.

 

[James Emerson]

No that is a Barheaded x Whitefront (probably greater WF),and probably the same bird as already linked,

compare with this Barheaded x Greylag:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joachim_s_mueller/3551711478/sizes/l/

Barheaded x Greylag can also have white at the base of upper mandible, diferent from this bird here , but in general you also see a "ghost" of barheaded head pattern on the head, like in the bird linked above.

Ah ok, thanks for that.

 

[Nicky Petkov]

the hybrid at Kew definitely show a lot of features of Lesser and I would say it is LWG hybrid..