Quantcast

Cackling Goose

Branta hutchinsiiOrder: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Cackling Goose Head Illustration_2

Head

  • Bill Shape: Spatulate
  • Eye Color: Dark brown
  • Head Pattern: Unique pattern
  • Crown Color: Black
  • Forehead Color: Black
  • Nape Color: Black
  • Throat Color: Black and white
  • Cere color: No Data
Cackling Goose Body Illustration_2

Body

  • Length Range: 56-76 cm (22-30 in)
  • Weight: 951-3001 g (33.54-105.9 oz)
  • Size: Large (16 - 32 in)
  • Color Primary: Brown
  • Underparts: Gray-brown
  • Upperparts: Gray-brown
  • Back Pattern: Barred or banded
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Barred or banded
Cackling Goose Flight Illustration_2

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Strong deep wing beats.
  • Wingspan Range: 109-119 cm (43-47 in)
  • Wing Shape: Rounded-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Rounded Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Black
  • Under Tail: Black
  • Leg Color: Black
.
Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007  Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
 Privacy Policy.
Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Branta hutchinsii
Length22 - 30 Inches
Wingspan45 Inches

Cackling Goose

Cackling Goose: Formerly included in the Canada Goose family, this species is smaller with a rounder head and shorter neck and bill. There are four subspecies, we show the hutchinsii that has darker upperparts and a white neck ring. Winters from the southern Great Plains to the western Gulf Coast.

● Song: "honk, honk, honk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Cackling Goose: Eats a variety of grasses when foraging; also feeds on agricultural crops such as wheat, beans, rice, and corn. Sometimes tips like puddle ducks when feeding on aquatic plants such as wild celery, sea lettuce, and sago pondweed.

● Breeding & nesting: Cackling Goose: Two to eight white, nest-stained eggs are laid in a nest built near water by the female of sticks, grass, weeds, and moss lined with down. Sometimes on rocky clifs. Incubated by the female for 25-30 days.

● Similar species: Cackling Goose: Canada Goose is larger, head is larger, sloped, and bill is longer.

Flight Pattern

Strong deep wing beats.
Cackling Goose Body Illustration_2
● Range & Habitat: Cackling Goose: Native to North America. Breeds in northern Canada and western Alaska to Baffin Island, southward to central Yukon in a variety of tundra habitats. Winters from British Columbia south to California, northern Mexico and western Louisiana.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationCommon to abundant
MigrationMigratory
Weight33.54 - 105.9 Ounces