Aleutian Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii leucopareia
Aleutian Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii leucopareia. Photograph taken in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, January 2013.
Background and Identification
The Aleutian Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii leucopareia, is a member of the Anatidae Family of Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl. The Aleutian Cackling Goose is the fourth subspecies of Cackling Geese, named for its breeding grounds in the Aleutian Islands. It wasn’t until 2004 that the Cackling Goose was acknowledged as a distinct species from the Canada Goose. The Cackling Goose was named after its call, but most would agree that the high pitch of the call makes it sound more like a yelp than a cackle. Although the two species have separate geographical zones, there is a hybrid zone between 59°N and 60°N in the subarctic to arctic zones. The populations there are most likely sympatric, meaning that they occupy the same geographical range without inbreeding. In Mexico, the Cackling Goose is called Barnacla Canadiense Chica.
The Aleutian Cackling Goose is a short-necked goose with a short bill. They are large in stature, weighing 1.7 kg (3 lbs 11 oz) to 2.1 kg (4 lbs 10 oz) at maturity. The head and neck are black, except for white cheeks that meet under the chin forming a band. The chest of this species is either white, pale grey, or greyish brown depending on the individual. There is usually a large white color separating the chest from the neck. The bill, legs, and feet are black.
Habitat and Geographical Range
Cackling Geese are found in all habitats and elevations within their geographical range, including treeless and forested areas; prairies and parklands; flat, high mountain meadows, and areas of human habitation. They are almost exclusively herbivorous, eating grasses, leaves, sedges, other green monocots, seasonal berries, seeds, and submerged aquatic vegetation in wetlands.
In Mexico, the Cackling Geese are known to winter within the Atlantic Slope in the States of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz, within the Pacific Slope in the State of Baja California, and in the central plateau in the States of Durango, Jalisco, Sonora, and Chiapas.
Common Misidentifications
The Cackling Geese is very similar to and easily confused with the Canada Goose, Branta canadensis (larger in stature with slightly long necks). Hybridization between the two species should also be considered when identification is difficult. Lastly, the call of each species can be used to determine identity as well, because the longer and wider trachea of the Canada Goose tends to be lower-pitched and have a higher amplitude.
Conservation Status
From a conservation perspective, the Aleutian Cackling Goose is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. All subspecies of Cackling Geese are also categorized as Least Concern with a global population estimated to be more than 4.5 million birds.