Alopochen aegyptiacus Status: No accepted records. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025). Comments: This species, actually a shelduck, has no history of wild vagrancy to the Western Hemisphere; it is assumed it established in North America as a result of escaped and/or released birds (Callaghan et al 2020). It has been reported a few […]
TUNDRA SWAN
Cygnus columbianus columbianus Status: Increasing. Uncommon regular spring and fall migrant and winter visitor statewide. Documentation: Specimen: HMM 2822, 27 Oct 1917 Doniphan, Hall Co. Taxonomy: There are two subspecies, columbianus and bewickii, the latter Eurasian in distribution (AviList 2025). The subspecies were formerly treated as separate species, Whistling Swan (columbianus) of North America, and […]
MUTE SWAN
Cygnus olor Status: Rare casual winter visitor east. Documentation: Photograph: 7 Nov 2015 Dakota Co (Brogie 2016). Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025). There are two color morphs of downy Mute Swan, gray (“Royal”) and white (“Polish”, or leucistic); the differences persist in plumage and in bare parts color through the juvenile stage (Wood […]
CACKLING GOOSE
Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii, B. H. MINIMA, B. H. TAVERNERI Status: Common, locally abundant, regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Fairly common regular winter visitor west and central, uncommon east. Rare regular summer visitor south and east, rare casual west. Documentation: hutchinsii: specimen, SUI 06721, 8 Nov 1884, Elm Creek, Buffalo Co; minima: photograph, Mlodinow eBird […]
CANADA GOOSE
Branta canadensis interior, B. c. parvipes, B. c. maxima, and B. c. moffitti Status: Abundant regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Common regular resident statewide. Locally abundant regular winter visitor statewide. Documentation: parvipes: specimen FMNH 400971, 30 miles south of Wood Lake, Cherry Co; maxima: specimen UNSM ZM16581,11 Mar 1989 Buffalo Co (culmen 58.9). See […]
[BARNACLE GOOSE]
Anser leucopsis Status: No accepted records. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025). A mounted specimen shot from a flock of about 40 “Hutch” Canada Geese (now known as Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii) 2 Nov 1968 in Otoe Co (Cortelyou 1969) was assumed for many years to be an escaped Barnacle Goose, but reexamination of […]