Blog

Cygnus columbianus columbianus Status: Rare regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Rare to locally uncommon regular 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 (Gill et al 2022). The subspecies were formerly treated as separate species, Whistling […]

Cygnus olor Status: Rare casual winter visitor east. Documentation: Photograph: 7 Nov 2015 Dakota Co (Brogie 2016). Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (Gill et al 2022). 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 […]

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 central and east, rare casual west. Documentation: hutchinsii: specimen, SUI 06721, 8 Nov 1884, Elm Creek, Buffalo Co; minima: photograph, Mlodinow eBird […]

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 […]