hybrid Snow x Ross's Goose (Chen caerulescens X C. rossi), Pintail Slough, Havasu NWR, Mohave County

This apparent hybrid Snow x Ross's Goose was photographed by Tom Johnson on 04 April 2012.

This is a fair example of a bird intermediate in appearance between Snow and Ross's Goose, apparently a hybrid of the two species.

Rare but increasing as populations of Snow and Ross's Geese increase and the breeding range limits of Chen species and subspecies change.

This is an adult, so bill morphology is especially useful (juvenile Ross's Geese can show grin patches on the tomium and a slightly curved bill base). This bird shows a bill longer than a typical Ross's Goose with a slight dark "grin patch" on the tomium and a curved base to the bill instead of a vertical bill base that is found on typical Ross's Geese.

04 April 2012, photo by Tom Johnson

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