Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii), Flooded field near the intersection of McDowell Road and Avondale Blvd, Maricopa County

This Cackling Goose was discovered and photographed by Melanie Herring on 07 December 2011.

Cackling Goose, which consists of four extant subspecies, was split as a separate species from Canada Goose in 2004. The status of this new species in Arizona is poorly known and only a few have been carefully documented. While the smallest form, B. h. minima, is relative easy to identify, the other, larger, light-breasted forms, can be extremely difficult to separate from the smallest Canada Goose, B. c. parvipes, which is regular in Arizona in small numbers. The small bill, short neck and steep forehead of this bird support the ID of Cackling Goose.  The other features (size, breast color and head shape) seem most consistent with the subspecies B. h. taverneri, but it is difficult to tell from these photos. 

07 December 2011, photo by Melanie Herring