Hybrid blue morph Snow x Ross's Goose (Chen caerulescens X C. rossi), Cibola NWR, La Paz County

This apparent hybrid "blue" Snow x Ross's Goose was found by Joe Anderson and Curt Kessler and photographed by Joe Anderson on 03 March 2015

Hybrids of these species are rare but increasing as populations of Snow and Ross's Geese increase and the breeding range limits of Chen species and subspecies change. Blue morph geese make up a small percentage of the population of Snow Geese and are extremely rare in Ross's Geese, so a hybrid "Blue Goose" is an exceptional find.

Smaller and shorter-billed than the Snow Goose to the right, 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. This bird also shows more white on the head and body than typical of "blue" Ross's, which are much less variable than "blue" Snow.

03 March 2015, photo by Joe Anderson

All photos are copyrighted© by photographer