Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii), Crystal Garden, Avondale (Phoenix), Maricopa County

This Cackling Goose was photographed by Stig Tjotta on 30 December 2010. Two cackling geese have been with a large flock of 50-60 Canada geese over the last couple of weeks visiting the ponds along the Crystal Garden Parkway in the Crystal Garden community.

Seemly a rare but annual winter visitor to Arizona, although identification challenges make its true status unknown. 

Small (mallard size), short necked white cheeked goose.  This bird shows the characteristic light breast and blocky head shape of Richardson's Cackling Goose (B.h. huchinsii) with a the forehead forming a steep angle with the bill, and the back of the crown forming a peak. Photo 2 show a head shape comparison with a Canada Goose (which appears to be the small subspecies Lesser Canada Goose, B. c. parvipes, as are the two geese on the left in photo 3).  The Canada goose has a marked rounder head shape and a more continuous slope forehead to bill. Photo 3 shows the Cackling Goose with its neck more extended compared with three Canada Geese. Note the stocky neck appearance on the Cackling Goose with the length being only slightly longer than the width.  In the Photo 4 the Cackling Goose is on the right, behind an apparent Lesser Canada Goose. 

30 December 2010, photo by Stig Tjotta

All photos are copyrighted© by photographer