Teaser

[Parus major]

Peter - I think you are right and you have a leucistic canada goose. A couple of years ago I saw what I was told was a canada x snow goose cross at Ynis Hir reserve. I could not figure out how that could have got to the UK so it may well have been another leucistic.
David

[Winterkoning]

Super Shots....Super Birds Parus major and Peter ..................

[RoyW__]

Originally Posted by PeterB

I think the word you are looking for is Leucistic.

Jus so happens I saw this L word Canada today.

Originally Posted by Parus major

Peter - I think you are right and you have a leucistic canada goose. A couple of years ago I saw what I was told was a canada x snow goose cross at Ynis Hir reserve. I could not figure out how that could have got to the UK so it may well have been another leucistic.
David

Peters goose is most likely a Canada Goose x domestic Greylag ('farmyard goose') hybrid, though it may be a different hybrid combination, or even 'just' a domestic Greylag (it's difficult to be certain from just this shot). The orange legs, for instance, are a feature that wouldn't be seen on a leucistic (or albino) Canada Goose.

Canada x Snow Goose hybrids crop up occcasionally in Europe, including the UK, and in most cases will be the result of an escaped Snow Goose joining a Canada Goose flock, and then pairing with a Canada Goose due to the absence of more suitable partners. Potentially wild Snow Geese, which turn up as vagrants, could also end up joining Canada Geese, but most of the presumed wild Snow Geese are found with flocks of other goose species, such as Pink-footed Geese from Greenland. Wildfowl are one of the groups of birds in which hybrids are regularly recorded.