Species

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 North Platte, Platte, and lower Missouri River valley counties southward and Cedar and Knox Cos in the northeast, rare casual elsewhere. Documentation: Specimen: KSC Olson #20, […]

Anser brachyrhynchus Status: Accidental in winter. Documentation: Photograph: 30 Jan 2006 Harvard WPA, Clay Co (Brogie 2007, 2025). Taxonomy:  No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025). Sometimes treated as a subspecies of Taiga Bean-Goose (Anser fabalis) but is strongly differentiated genetically (AviList 2025). Record:  One was found and photographed by Paul Dunbar in a flock of […]