(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Dawn Chorus - A goose hybrid explored. [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-05
I found a most interesting bird when I visited the Phillip’s Catfish Farm in Eden, Mississippi, during December of last year. I knew the warm cloudy morning would keep migrating waterfowl floating on the large ponds. I hoped to observe a lot of species and was not disappointed. But, this article focuses on one individual.
One likely scenario of how this hybrid is possible was constructed and explained through this drawing taken from the Frontiers in Zoology site. This example covers the possibility of wild nesting choices and predicable outcomes in rearing chicks.
One possible answer to the hybrid’s origin
This link to the article offers other reasonable opinions of how hybrids take place. The link to that article is:
I am 20% certain I observed and filmed a Canada / Greylag goose hybrid. Here is a look at the parent species borrowed from Audubon’s photo library.
Hybrids of these species are uncommon but well documented when studied. The markers for either species can easily confirm the sighting. The head structure provides the best comparatives. Here is a clipping from the Nature Conservancy’s files on this specific hybrid.
The connection structure of beak attachment to the head
The photo I took below has four points that indicate a Greylag’s structure. 1) The vertical line of the beak (unlike the curve of the Canada), 2) The defined notch of the beak. 3) The bulbous tip, 4) The curved upper mandible. The points attributed to the Canada goose are dark color of beak and lack of eye ring (prominent in Greylag).
Other markings I observed are seen in the following photos.
The neck does not have an extended color length (or create a hood) like a Canada. The feathers of the neck have the tips that resemble a Greylag (seen in the video). The video also shows that the legs are darker (not yellow) and the wings have a pattern like a Greylag. The main body shape resembles the rotund Canada’s girth.
Wings edged white
As I watched the goose exit the pond, I noticed it’s stride and was seeing the gait typical of Canada geese. I have seen domestic geese waddle and the upright posture was not seen in the bird I filmed. Here is the shot video I took of the interesting subject.
46 second video
It was suggested (through an iNauralist review) that my bird may be an immature Snow Goose “Blue Phase” (going through the changes) molting into adulthood. I looked at other photos of “Blue Geese” and (though similar) didn’t see the same beak-to-head structure as my bird and there is no transition of bill color.
Here is a photo showing the bill structure of an immature Snow Goose.
curves unlike the more straight lines of a Greylag’s bill
Snow geese are still filtering into my area during migration, but the bulk of the large flights have passed through. Still, it is possible my bird is a lone Snow Goose traveling with a Canada flock.
Snow geese at Sardis Lake 2022.
Today’s diary is open to any thing you’d like to add or remark upon. Conversation is what makes the Dawn Chorus so much fun.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/5/2292307/-Dawn-Chorus-A-goose-hybrid-explored?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
