Hybrid Geese (gobirding.eu)

Hybrid Geese

Geese hybridise readily, in captivity, among feral populations and among wild bird populations. Identifying hybrids is fraught with difficulties. Not only are they highly variable (as one of the examples below shows, even siblings are not alike) but they do not always simply show a mix of each parent species' features. Indeed there are instances of hybrids bearing a more striking resemblance to a third species than to either of their two parent species.

The following hybrid combinations are discussed below:

Pink-footed Goose x Tundra Bean Goose
Swan Goose x Greylag Goose
Ross's Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose
Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose (previously considered possibly Ross's x Pink-footed)
Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose
Snow Goose x Barnacle Goose
Canada Goose x Greylag Goose
Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose
Canada Goose x Barnacle Goose
Lesser Canada (Cackling) Goose x Barnacle Goose
Red-breasted Goose x Barnacle Goose
Barnacle (or Lesser Canada?) Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose
Chinese Swan Goose x Bar-headed Goose
Barnacle Goose x Swan Goose
Barnacle Goose x Greylag Goose
Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose
Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose
Dark-bellied Brent Goose x Pale-bellied Brent Goose
Egyptian Goose x Mallard

Note that many domestic geese have both Greylag Goose and Swan Goose in their ancestry and can therefore be accurately described as hybrids. However whilst some show clear evidence of both species many are harder to identify, either because their plumage is entirely white or because the influence of one or other species may be several generations back. For photos of these birds see my domestic goose page.

Possible Pink-footed Goose x Tundra Bean Goose

This bird may not be a hybrid - it may just be a Pink-footed Goose with orange legs and orange bill. However although Pink-footed Geese with orange legs are not unusual, Pink-footed Geese with orange on the bill are extremely unusual. As small numbers of Tundra Bean Geese over-winter with the Pink-footed Geese every year and occasionally remain well into the spring, it is highly probable that the two species do hybridise occasionally. There are very few records of this hybrid combination, and as far as I know only tentative records, so we can only speculate about how they would appear. As the two species are very similar anyway, they are likely to be extremely difficult to identify with any degree of certainty - especially considering the variation shown among individuals of the same species.

This bird appeared identical to a Pink-footed Geese except that it had orange legs AND orange on the bill. Although the orange on the bill had a slight pinky tone and wasn't so distinct as on a Bean Goose, it was certainly orange. Among other things, the extensive white tip to the tail (shown in the right hand photo below) rules out the possibility of this being a Bean Goose. In several winters of studying tens of thousands of Pink-footed Geese, I have seen many orange-legged Pink-footed Geese but until now, never a genuinely orange-billed Pink-footed Goose (though some appear to show orange bills - see the Pink-footed Goose page). I believe there is a strong possibility that this bird is a hybrid though I cannot rule out the possibility that it is a pure Pink-footed Goose with unusual bare part colouration.


Pink-footed Goose with orange bill and legs or hybrid Pink-footed Goose x Tundra Bean Goose (with ordinary Pink-footed Geese), between Docking and Brancaster (Norfolk, UK), 17th November 2006.

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Swan Goose x Greylag Goose

Domestic geese are descendents of either Swan Goose or Greylag Goose, or both. Many show clear evidence of both species and can therefore be accurately described as hybrids, however many others are impossible to identify with certainty. Hybrids are fertile and the influence of one or other species may be from several generations back in their ancestry. Moreover it is not entirely clear whether features normally associated with one species may sometimes appear in domestic variants of the other species not through hybridisation but as a result of genes inherited from a common ancestor being activated in the domestic form where they are dormant in the natural form. For this reason I have not devoted much space to this hybrid here, instead including photos of domestic hybrids on my domestic goose page.

However, I do include the following bird as I am not confident it is simply a hybrid between a domestic Swan Goose and a domestic Greylag Goose, and would welcome comments. It accompanies domestic Greylag Geese and a bird which appears much closer to domestic Swan Goose but, with tiny amounts of orange on the bill base, is presumably a hybrid domestic Swan Goose x Greylag Goose. That hybrid is rather similar to the bird below but there are some differences. The bird below is smaller, it has clearer white fringes to the tertials, it has yellowier tones to the coloured part of the bill base and it has more white on the face and cheek. Currently my best guess is that it is just an odd domestic Swan Goose x Greylag Goose, but I have a weak suspicion that another species may possibly be involved - what do you think?



presumed domestic Swan Goose x Greylag Goose hybrid, Whitlingham CP (Norfolk, UK), 5th February 2011 - more photos of this bird appear on the domestic geese page

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Possible Ross's Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose

This bird had been around for a number of years before I eventually managed to connect with it. I'm not sure about its identity. I think Ross's or Snow Goose involvement is fairly clear and some Anser involvement seems fairly certain too. The small bright pink bill suggests Lesser White-front, and in most respects Ross's x Lesser White-front seems the best explanation, although I'd expect that combination to show more white on the forecrown. But it has a black cutting edge to its mandibles, a bit of a grinning patch - so perhaps Snow Goose is possible?

This bird also seems to have a bit of a bulky rear end, suggesting some domestic goose involvement, but even allowing for the possiblity that it is a trigen it is difficult to come to any satisfactory conclusion that involves domestic goose. Comments welcome!



possible Ross's Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose hybrid, Whitlingham CP (Norfolk, UK), 5th February 2011




possible Ross's Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose hybrid, Whitlingham CP (Norfolk, UK), 1st July 2011






possible Ross's Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose hybrid, Whitlingham CP (Norfolk, UK), 16th January 2011

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Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose

This hybrid appeared among Norfolk's Pink-footed Goose flocks in each of the five winters 2003-2007. Although often misidentified as a blue Snow Goose by optimistic observers, it was in fact a hybrid.

The identity of this hybrid was the object of much debate but a confident consensus was reached among many competent observers that it was Ross's Goose x Pink-footed Goose and it was regularly documented as such. The assumption that Pink-footed Goose was one of its parents was presumably based on the fact that it accompanied that species - I can see no other reason to even consider Pink-footed Goose. The non-white parts of the plumage lacked the brown tones of Pink-footed Goose and the pattern of these feathers was different: the dark sub-terminal bar on the scapulars was more distinct and had more of a point at the centre. Surely if this bird had not been with Pink-footed Geese no-one would have even considered that species as a parent. The detail was much more akin to Emperor Goose than any of the grey geese.

A number of features suggest Snow or Ross's Goose involvement. The structure and especially the bill look good for these two (or Emperor Goose); the prominent white edges to the tertials and secondaries resemble those of blue phase Snow or Ross's Geese and while extensive white plumage can be a feature of some hybrids between two non-white species, it could equally be explained by Ross's or Snow Goose involvement. If Pink-footed Goose was a parent then the large size would perhaps favour Snow Goose over Ross's Goose, but the largest Ross's Geese are as large (including a first-winter bird that first arrived among the wintering Pink-feet in autumn 2001). The pink bill shows a dusky area towards the base which suggests Ross's Goose, but this could have come from the other parent. The size and shape of the bill is closest to Ross's Goose, though it often appeared slightly longer. The base of the bill was relatively straight, not as curved as in Snow Goose.

If we assume this bird was of wild origin, then the consensus identification of Ross' Goose x Pink-footed Goose did seem the most likely. However, with nothing to suggest Pink-footed Goose over any other grey goose, this identification should always have been regarded as tentative at best. The evidence was never overwhelming and the confidence in this identification that existed in the birding community was, in my opinion, always misplaced.

The possibility that this bird was in fact Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose was raised several years ago by Joern Lehmhus, whose opinions on hybrid goose identification should always be listened to!

Relevant to this bird's identification are two very similar birds that were photographed in the Netherlands. These differed in having a small dark spot behind the eye and more orangey-coloured legs, but were otherwise extremely similar. The identification of those birds has been discussed in detail on a Dutch forum, waarneming.nl (in a mixture of Dutch and English).

A significant recent development on the discussion about the identity of all of these birds is an article dating back to 1979. Thanks to Joern for digging out The Journal of Heredity 70:395-400 (1979): Chromosome homology between the Ross's and the Emperor goose by R N Shoffner et al. This paper contains black-and-white photos of captive Ross's and Emperor Geese, a male and two female known hybrids between Ross's Goose and Emperor Goose as well as a further backcrossed hybrid. Two of the F1 hybrids in particular look extremely similar to both the Norfolk bird and the Dutch birds (one with the spot behind the eye like the Dutch ones and one more like the Norfolk bird). The resemblance is so close that it now seems hard to escape the conclusion that the Norfolk hybrid was indeed a Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose hybrid as Joern had suggested all along.

With Emperor Geese and their hybrids common in captivity the probability now has to be that this bird escaped from captivity.





Presumed Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose, S of Brancaster Staithe (Norfolk, UK), 30th November 2004


Presumed Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose, north of Docking (Norfolk, UK), 26th November 2007

Presumed Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose, S of Brancaster Staithe (Norfolk, UK), 8th November 2005	Presumed Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose, S of Brancaster (Norfolk, UK), 9th November 2005

Presumed Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose, between Burnham Market and Docking (Norfolk, UK), 12th November 2005

Presumed Ross's Goose x Emperor Goose, south of Brancaster (Norfolk, UK), 2nd December 2006

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Presumed Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose

These two hybrids are among a flock of 13 feral Barnacle Geese and 2 feral Ross's Geese. The first four photos show one bird and the second four show the second bird.





Presumed Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrids, Snettisham (Norfolk, UK), 17th March 2009

A single feral white phase Snow Goose was with a flock of Canada Geese for a year or two and so when this hybrid appeared in the same flock I initially assumed it was a Snow x Canada Goose hybrid. However it was quickly pointed out to me that this didn't quite fit and Snow x Barnacle seemed the most likely explanation, although some features were atypical for that hybrid. Subsequently the bird has switched flock and now accompanies a Ross's Goose and 3 Barnacle Geese. Its size appears similar to the adult Barnacles (the smaller Barnacle in some of the photos is a juvenile). I'm now favouring Ross's x Barnacle for the ID, but further comments would be welcome.




Possible Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010





Possible Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid, Cley (Norfolk, UK), 3rd January 2011

I discovered a new bird among Pink-footed Geese in January 2011 that was superficially similar to the presumed Ross's x Pink-foot (above) that was around for several winters, but was much smaller, had a darker mantle, whiter neck and, possibly, duller bill. Although different from any of the individuals above, the smooth dark plumage seems to approach Ross's x Barnacle types more than the very clearly scaled pattern of the presumed Ross's x Pink-foot. It has rather a lot of white in the tail for a Branta hybrid though, and I'm not sure of the identity, although shall be surprised if Ross's Goose isn't half-responsible. I hope it sticks around and provides some better views and photos in due course.


Probable Ross's Goose hybrid, between Amner and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 9th January 2011

Probable Ross's Goose hybrid, between Amner and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 7th January 2011

I had assumed the following birds were captive birds as they were in a wildfowl collection, but the collection's owner has since assured me that they do not belong to him, are nothing to do with him, and just appeared there one day!






presumed Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrids, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th February 2011 - the first four photos are one bird and the last six another bird

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Possible Snow Goose x Barnacle Goose

This hybrid has apparently been in with the feral Barnacle Geese for several years. When I first saw it I was reasonably confident about its identity as it looked much like the Ross's x Barnacle hybrids I had seen but was significantly bigger. Although some Ross's x Barnacle hybrids are bigger than Barnacle Geese this bird was more significantly so. But on further reflection I am not so certain. The bill is not as obviously large as one might expect on Snow x Barnacle, the grinning patch is indistinct and the neck is short. I am beginning to wonder whether it might in fact be a large Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid instead.




Possible Snow Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid (or a large Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid), Buckenham (Norfolk, UK), 1st January 2010



Possible Snow Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid (or a large Ross's Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid), Buckenham (Norfolk, UK), 2nd Januiary 2012

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Canada Goose x Greylag Goose

This is the commonest hybrid pairing among feral geese, not surprising given that Canada Geese and Greylag Geese are the commonest species of feral geese in most areas.

Appearance is in some ways quite consistent, although precise details can vary even between siblings. They show a diffuse white cheek patch, usually with a pale eye-ring and often a pale surround to the bill. The blackish-brown neck sock diffusely merges into the paler underparts and the legs are coloured (varying from yellow-ochre to pink or orange).

Evident in several of these photos are dusky or barred undertail-coverts. This might seem surprising as neither parent species have such markings but this seems to be a normal, or at least a frequent, feature of hybrids between Anser species and Branta species. Other Anser x Branta hybrids also show this unexpected feature.




Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 8th March 2008


Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 6th April 2009

Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose (with Greylag Goose), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 24th June 2007

Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose (with Canada Geese), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 20th September 2008

Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose, Bittering GP (Norfolk, UK), 17th December 2004






Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose hybrids, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 28th October 2009 - there were at least 7 hybrids in this flock. I had wondered whether some of the duskier-cheeked individuals could be second-generation hybrids, but as yet I have still not seen any clear evidence that Anser x Branta hybrids are fertile, so it's more likely that they're simply within range of variation for this hybrid. I suspect such dusky-cheeked birds are juveniles, but I need to study more to be sure about this.

Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Geese, Bylaugh (Norfolk, UK), 6th September 2008

Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose (with Greylag Goose), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 4th August 2007. Probably the same bird as shown in the top two photos in this section.


Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose (with Canada Geese), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 29th May 2010

Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose (with Snow x Canada and another Canada x Greylag behind), Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010



Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose hybrids (with Canada Goose), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 30th January 2011 - the top four photos show one bird and the lower two a different bird

Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose hybrids (with Canada Goose), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 27th February 2011


Presumed Canada Goose x Greylag Goose hybrids, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 16th April 2011

One of the birds shown above (Swanton Morley, 8th March 2008) was sound recorded. Click on the loudspeaker icons to hear two recordings:

See below for some more hybrids which may be Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose...

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Possible Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose

The following three hybrids were all associating with Canada Geese and quite closely resembled typical Canada Goose x Greylag Goose hybrids. However they differed in a number of respects: the head showed more extensive white, although the white contained blotchy brown markings; the first two (especially the Flitcham bird) showed a pure white blaze at the base of the bill which extended up to the forehead and contrasted with the blotchier white elsewhere on the head; the Flitcham individual had bright orange legs and the Abberton one had bright pinky-orange legs.

There seems to be little doubt that they were the offspring of a mixed pairing between a Canada Goose and one of the grey Geese, but the exact parentage is unknown. The white blaze at the base of the bill and the bright orange legs suggest White-fronted Goose for the Flitcham bird in particular. A lone White-fronted Goose in the area was known to have bred with a Barnacle Goose one year (see below) and it is quite conceivable that the same individual bred with the more numerous Canada Geese in other years.

However there is also good evidence to suggest that Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose may show a very similar head pattern (and this could equally well explain the bright orange bare parts). I am now leaning more towards this as the likely identification for these three birds, although I am uncertain as there was nothing in the structure to suggest domestic birds. Canada Goose x White-fronted Goose perhaps remains a possibility for the Flitcham bird at least, but I am doubtful. Despite the darkish breast this bird was large enough that Barnacle Goose or Cackling Goose parentage is not considered likely.

It is worth noting that Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose hybrids can appear also almost identical to Canada Goose x non-domestic Greylag Goose hybrids. One photo in an article from North America shows a family of Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose hybrids some of which show strong evidence of domestic ancestry while others appear just like ordinary Canada Goose x Greylag Goose hybrids (although even these show hints of the domestic birds' structure).



Possible Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose, Abbey Farm, Flitcham (Norfolk, UK), 1st October 2003

Possible Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 6th March 2004

Possible Canada Goose x domestic Greylag Goose, Abberton Reservoir (Essex, UK), 21st August 2004

Compared to the birds above, the following birds were much more similar to typical Canada Goose x Greylag Goose hybrids. Originally I therefore imagined that the Greylag parent was unlikely to be domestic - particularly as there were no domestic birds in the flock. Now with the benefit of a few more years of experience I have learned that white in the neck does appear to be strongly indicative of domestic parentage and an all-black bill is only typical of birds with a parent that is at least partly domestic Swan Goose. Many domestic geese have both Greylag Goose and Swan Goose genes and such birds hybridising with Canada Goose may produce offspring with either coloured or black bills. It does therefore seem extremely probable that the Drift birds below are hybrids involving a domestic goose.


	The four individuals shown in these three photos were closely associating with each other and were presumed to be siblings. Nevertheless they are all slightly different. Two have all-dark bills (left), two have pale bills (above). One of the dark-billed birds has white speckling on the neck, the other doesn't; similarly one of the pale-billed birds has white speckling on the neck and the other doesn't.
Presumed Canada Goose x domestic (Greylag Goose x Swan Goose), Drift Reservoir (Cornwall, UK), 1st October 2005

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Swan Goose x Bar-headed Goose?

The following hybrid was with about 100 feral Greylag Geese (one domestic). No other species were with the flock, but the parentage is unlikely to involve Greylag Goose. The dark crown and back of the neck is typical of Swan Goose and as the photos above show, the white surround to the bill can be present with hybrids of that species. It lacked the bump at the base of the bill that is often found on domestic (Chinese) Swan Geese, but had the rather straight head/bill profile that's typical of wild-type birds of that species. It seems likely that Swan Goose was one of the parents, and although some of the features of domestic birds are absent, the likelihood must be that it was a domestic type.

There are no immediately obvious clues as to the second parent's identity. The bird was distinctly smaller than the accompanying Greylags and very short-necked, which suggests that a small species was involved, but none of the very small options seem to provide a satisfactory solution. The body feathering were paler than on the Greylags, with a slightly silvery sheen and this, together with the bill colour probably indicates Bar-headed Goose - the neck pattern may also be a feature that came from this parent as Bar-headed Goose hybrids often show this (juvenile Bar-headed Geese have a similar pattern).



Possible Swan Goose x Bar-headed Goose, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 25th February 2007

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Canada Goose x Barnacle Goose

A well-known hybrid that can occur among both genuine wild and feral geese - the one below is feral.




Canada Goose x Barnacle Goose (with Barnacle Geese), Hickling Rushill Scrape (Norfolk, UK), 10th August 2009

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Lesser Canada Goose (Cackling Goose) x Barnacle Goose

This bird, accompanying a Barnacle Goose among thousands of Pink-footed Geese, is very likely of wild origin. The size suggests that the "Canada" parent was one of the small forms - possibly Richardson's hutchinsii .






Lesser Canada Goose (Cackling Goose) x Barnacle Goose (with Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Geese), between Amner and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 12th January 2011



Lesser Canada Goose (Cackling Goose) x Barnacle Goose (with Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Geese), between Amner and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 10th January 2011

Lesser Canada Goose (Cackling Goose) x Barnacle Goose (with Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Geese), between Amner and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 6th January 2011

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Red-breasted Goose x Barnacle Goose

The following hybrid appears to be a cross between Red-breasted Goose and Barnacle Goose. A number of escaped Red-breasted Geese have been with the increasingly large feral population of Barnacle Geese in east Norfolk and Suffolk and that may perhaps be its origin.







Presumed Red-breasted Goose x Barnacle Goose, Whitlingham CP (Norfolk, UK), 1st July 2011




Presumed Red-breasted Goose x Barnacle Goose, Buckenham (Norfolk, UK), 2nd January 2012 - I assume this is the same bird as the Whitlingham bird above - it has been seen at a number of sites in the area. The extent and prominence of reddish colouring in the cheek seems to vary between photos and also in the field at different angles - nevertheless it generally seemed stronger in January than it had the previous July.

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Possible Barnacle Goose x Swan Goose

I think it's fairly safe to assume that this is a hybrid between a Barnacle Goose and one of the grey geese (Anser sp.). The all-dark bill would be unexpected if Greylag Goose was the second parent but that together with the long bill and straight bill/head profile, seems to point instead to Swan Goose. The bird was alone so judging size accurately was impossible, however the impression was of a fairly small (and short-necked) goose. Other Barnacle x Swan Goose hybrids have been notes as being larger, and the identity of this bird is far from certain.


Possible Barnacle Goose x Swan Goose, Welney (Norfolk, UK), 28th March 2009

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Presumed Barnacle Goose x Greylag Goose

There can be little doubt that one of the parents of this hybrid is Barnacle Goose but the other parent is less certain. Greylag Goose seems the most likely option as it accompanies Greylag Geese and nothing in its appearance gives reason to challenge this assumption. In 2005 it appeared to be paired with a Greylag Goose and on a subsequent visit the two birds were looking after goslings. At first sight this would appear to indicate that the goslings were second-generation hybrids, backcrossed with Greylag Goose. As far as I know there is no proof yet that Anser x Branta hybrids can be fertile, so this would be a valuable thing to establish, but unfortunately they were not seen on subsequent visits. The goslings appeared to resemble Greylag Goose goslings and there is a possibility that the hybrid adult had simply adopted the Greylag Goose goslings.


Presumed Barnacle Goose x Greylag Goose, Holkham Park (Norfolk, UK), 22nd November 2004	Presumed Barnacle Goose x Greylag Goose, Holkham Park (Norfolk, UK), 14th June 2005

Presumed Barnacle Goose x Greylag Goose hybrid (left) and Greylag Goose (right), both with goslings (more likely to be adopted Greylag Goose goslings than backcrossed hybrids), Holkham Park (Norfolk, UK), 14th June 2005

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Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose

Barnacle Geese are common among feral geese flocks and hybrids involving Barnacle Goose are frequently encountered. White-fronted Goose is much scarcer as a feral bird but some do occur, e.g. they were breeding at Cley (Norfolk, UK) for a number of years. A mixed pairing of Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose occurred at Raynham Lake (Norfolk, UK) a few years ago and were observed to be successful (per Andrew Bloomfield). A number of hybrid geese have been frequenting the area since then and at least two of these are presumed to be the offspring of this pairing.

Unpredictably, hybrids between Barnacle Geese and either White-fronted Goose species normally seem to be very dark-bodied - more so than either parent.


Presumed Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose, Coxford (Norfolk, UK), 9th March 2004

Presumed Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose, Abbey Farm, Flitcham (Norfolk, UK), 15th January 2004	Presumed Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose, Coxford (Norfolk, UK), 13th March 2003

Presumed Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose, Abbey Farm, Flitcham (Norfolk, UK), 8th January 2008


Presumed Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose, Abbey Farm, Flitcham (Norfolk, UK), 17th February 2010

Presumed Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose, Abbey Farm, Flitcham (Norfolk, UK), 1st June 2007

The following bird was in the same area as the ones above - and at the exact site where the White-fronted Goose and Barnacle Goose were observed to breed a few years ago. But this bird is noticeably different showing a paler belly and white feathering in the flanks. I have a suspicion (but only that) that it is in fact one of the same birds that has now changed its appearance. Note that the legs were a bit more strongly orange than is apparent from the photos.



Presumed Barnacle Goose x White-fronted Goose, Raynham Lake (Norfolk, UK), 1st April 2011

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Barnacle Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose

The identification of this tiny hybrid is uncertain, but there seem to be two clear contenders: Barnacle Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose or Lesser Canada Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose. I favour the former as the most likely solution - the bird differed from Barnacle x White-front hybrids mainly in having a shorter, stubbier bill and in its very tiny size.



Possible Barnacle Goose x Lesser White-fronted Goose, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 27th October 2007

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Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose

Brent Geese of the American and east Siberian form nigricans (Black Brant) are being found among flocks of the nominate European form bernicla (Dark-bellied Brent Goose) with increasing regularity. It is not surprising therefore that hybrids between the two forms are now beginning to be identified as well.

Details and photos of some such hybrids appear on the Black Brant page.

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Dark-bellied Brent Goose x Pale-bellied Brent Goose

Surprisingly, such hybrids are only rarely recorded, especially compared to Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Geese. This may be because the difference between the palest Dark-bellied Brent Geese and the darkest Pale-bellied Brent Geese is fairly small, and hybrids could easily be overlooked, if not impossible to detect.

A photo of a possible Dark-bellied Brent Goose x Pale-bellied Brent Goose hybrid appears on the Pale-bellied Brent Goose page.

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Egyptian Goose x Mallard

Quite an unusual combination I think. As Egyptian Geese are more closely related to the shelducks than true geese, photos of this hybrid mix appear on the Hybrid ducks page rather than here.

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Thanks to Joern Lehmhus for his valuable input on many of the hybrids shown on this page.

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