Anser caerulescens x Branta CANADENSIS
Status: Rare casual winter visitor statewide.
Winter: There are 18 records from 26 Oct- 23 Mar, only two from the east central and east: two were at Glenn Cunningham Lake, Douglas Co 26-27 Oct 2018 and two were at Stoneridge Lake, Buffalo Co 31 Dec 2023.
One remained at Scottsbluff WTP, Scotts Bluff Co 23 Mar-27 Jul 2023.
This hybrid closely resembles Snow Goose X Cackling Goose but is larger than the smaller forms of Canada Goose, presumably parvipes in western and central Nebraska where most reports originate. Reports are expected to increase as awareness of hybrid waterfowl and their identification has increased since Nebraska’s first in 2018.
A prudent way to report the group of hybrids, Ross’s or Snow as one parent and Cackling or Canada the other, is ROGO/SNGO x CANG/CACG. Such reports are often of birds too distant to identify; there are three records for Nebraska, four at Lake Minatare, Scotts Bluff Co 30 Nov 2020, and singles at Scottsbluff WTP, Scotts Bluff Co 13 Dec 2021, and at Barnett Park, Red Willow Co 28 Dec 2021 (eBird.org accessed Dec 2024).
A discussion of this and other hybrid waterfowl can be found at Bird Hybrids: Snow Goose x Canada Goose.
Images
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2024. Snow x Canada Goose (hybrid) (Anser caerulescens x Branta canadensis). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
last updated 25 Dec 2024