{"id":8799,"date":"2026-11-06T05:08:47","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T05:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/?p=8799"},"modified":"2026-11-06T05:08:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T05:08:47","slug":"the-cackling-goose-not-just-a-mini-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/2026\/11\/06\/the-cackling-goose-not-just-a-mini-me\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cackling Goose – Not Just a Mini-Me!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At first glance, the Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii<\/em>) looks very similar to the larger Canada Goose (Branta canadensis<\/em>), sharing the familiar black head and neck, white cheek patches, and brown body (Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2026, Mlodinow et al., 2024). In fact, for much of the twentieth century, Cackling Geese were considered one of several subspecies of Canada Goose until advances in genetic research, along with differences in morphology, vocalizations, and breeding distribution, led to their recognition as a separate species in 2004 (Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2026, Griffiths, 2026, Mlodinow et al., 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Figure 1<\/strong>. Front: Branta hutchinsii leucopareia <\/em>(Aleutian Cackling Goose) <\/em>Back: Branta canadensis <\/em>(Canada Goose)
<\/em>
Aleutian Cackling Goose and Canada Goose (Blake Matheson via Flickr.com<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

 Cackling Geese are generally smaller, around the size of a mallard, with shorter necks, smaller bills, and compact bodies. (Griffiths, 2026, Sibley, 2007). Their calls are also noticeably higher-pitched and more yelping in tone than the deeper honking calls of Canada Geese (Griffiths, 2026). The species is now divided into four subspecies that differ in size, appearance, migration patterns, and geographic distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the video below for a comparison between the calls of the two species!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n