Species

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 […]

Mareca strepera STREPERA Status: Common, locally abundant, regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Common regular breeder north-central Nebraska and northern Panhandle, uncommon south-central, rare casual elsewhere. Uncommon regular winter visitor Platte, North Platte, South Platte, and lower Missouri River valley counties southward and Cedar and Knox Cos in the northeast, rare casual elsewhere. Documentation: Specimen: […]

Anser brachyrhynchus Status: Accidental in winter. Documentation: Photograph: 30 Jan 2006 Harvard WPA, Clay Co (Brogie 2007, 2025). Taxonomy:  No subspecies are recognized (Gill et al 2022). Record:  One was found and photographed by Paul Dunbar in a flock of 50,000-80,000 Snow Geese at Harvard WPA, Clay Co, 30 Jan 2006 (Brogie 2007; eBird Checklist […]