Tunrda Bean Goose x Barnacle Goose

Tunrda Bean Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid (with Tundra Bean Geese), Oost (Texel, Netherlands), 30th December 2016 - copyright Diederik Kok

(photo ID: 3006)

The pale cheek with a reddish brown lower rear section reminds me of some Red-breasted Goose hybrids but I don't think that can be the case here.  I've never seen Tundra Bean x Red-breasted but based on how White-fronted Goose x Red-breasted Goose hybrids look I would expect a darker body and a more obviously smaller bird.  So I think Barnacle Goose seems the better solution for the white-cheeked parent.  It would be difficult to say for sure what the grey goose parent was but the fact that it is surrounded by Tundra Bean Goose makes that a pretty good bet - and the bright orange legs and pale belly are certainly consistent with that.



Tundra Bean Goose Anser serrirostris (formerly Anser fabalis rossicus)
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis

Brent Goose x Barnacle Goose

Brent Goose x Barnacle Goose hybrid, Île de France (France), 2014-2015 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(illus. ID: 2436)

Joern's illustration is based on 5 photos taken from the web, mainly from the French region of Île de France and probably in 2014-15 (not all websites gave details). Two of the photos can currently be found here and here.  He writes the following about it:

This drawing is a reconstruction from different photos of differing quality.  The photos may well be different birds of the same cross or a single individual looking slightly different throughout the course of the year or with age.  The drawing presents an average appearance from the photos.

The hybrid has much longer undertail and uppertail coverts than Barnacle goose and most other geese, but they are shorter than those very long coverts in Brent goose.  This is something you find also in other Brent goose hybrids ( with Greater Whitefront, with Canada or Cackling Goose and with Snow Goose).  We can therefore assume that this is a general characteristic of Brent Goose hybrids with other geese.

Also the head pattern is unique and not found in any other known Barnacle goose cross.  The overall body coloration is similar to, but much less contrasty than in Barnacle goose.  Especially the contrast between flanks and mantle/scapulars is relatively weak and the black markings of the Barnacle goose mantle and scapular feathers are only greyish in the hybrid.

A variant of the cross Barnacle x Redbreasted goose is often mistaken for a hybrid Barnacle x Brent Goose, but this bird here is clearly something different and most likely the real hybrid Barnacle x Brent goose.

I am not currently clear which form of Brent Goose is involved - Pale-bellied or Dark-bellied - the general pallor of the underparts may suggest Pale-bellied hrota though perhaps it is a little too dusky on the rear belly indicating Dark-bellied bernicla?  I am not sure!



Brent Goose Branta bernicla
Dark-bellied Brent Goose Branta (bernicla) bernicla
Pale-bellied Brent Goose Branta (bernicla) hrota
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis

Barnacle Goose x Red-breasted Goose

Barnacle Goose x Red-breasted Goose hybrid, Turku (Finland), late April or early May 2017 - copyright Henry Lehto

(photo ID: 3220)

Typically the striking pattern of Red-breasted Goose is lost in this hybrid, but the warm colour of the back of the cheek patch is usually a feature.

Barnacle Goose x Red-breasted Goose hybrid (with Canada and Greylag Geese), Whitlingham Country Park (Norfolk, UK), 1st July 2011 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0201-0207)

The next photos were not taken far away and are likely to involve the same individual.

Barnacle Goose x Red-breasted Goose hybrid (with Barnacle Geese), Buckenham (Norfolk, UK), 2nd January 2012 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0208-0211)

Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis

Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose

Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrid (with Pink-footed Geese), between Anmer and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 12th January 2011 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo ID: 0195)

Separation of Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrids from Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose hybrids can be very tricky.  Some birds may be obvious on size and/or structure but many may be best left undetermined.  The first bird shown here was small and its head shape recalled Richardson's Cackling Goose, the most frequent of the Cackling Geese to occur naturally in western Europe.  This individual was keeping company with a single Barnacle Goose among a large flock of Pink-footed Geese.  Although far from the main UK range of wintering Barnacle Geese small numbers of wild Barnacle Geese usually appear among the Pink-footed Goose flocks and it seems very likely that this hybrid was the offspring of a vagrant Cackling Goose in a Barnacle Goose colony.

Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrid (with Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Geese), between Anmer and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 12th January 2011 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0196-0198)

Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrid (with Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Geese, same bird as in photo IDs 0195-0196 above), between Anmer and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 10th January 2011 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0199-0200)

The next birds illustrated by Joern were structurally similar.  Joern writes that one had lighter flanks (showing a contrast between flanks and scapular feathers) and a slightly bigger white patch on the front while the other had a smaller white patch on the front and no contrast between flanks and scapulars.

Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrids, Waal en Burg, Texel (Netherlands), 3rd October 2010 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo ID: 0551)

While a smaller form of Cackling/Canada Goose is suspected to be responsible for the next bird, the identification is not certain.

possible Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrid, Sweden, June or July 2002 - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo IDs: 1103-1104)

The same bird paired with a Barnacle Goose and attending young:

possible Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrid (with Barnacle Goose and young), Sweden, June or July 2002 - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo ID: 1108)

Another smallish bird below, so suspected as having a smaller form of Cackling/Canada Goose as its parent.

possible Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrid, Sweden, 24th July 2007 - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo ID: 1106)

Here we have a bird with feral Canada Geese:

probable Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrid (with Canada Geese), East Fenton Farm (East Lothian, UK), 9th October 2009 - copyright Stephen Welch

(photo IDs: 2167-2169)

A nice photo of a not dissimilar bird from Sweden (photographed by Oskar Nilsson) appears here.


(See also: Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose)


Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
Richardson's Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii

Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose

Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose hybrid (with Canada Goose), Center Parcs, Elveden Forest (Suffolk, UK), 28th June 2008 - copyright Katy M ("BlueyBirdy")

(photo ID: 2356)

Barnacle and Canada Geese frequently hybridise where both species occur ferally, and the hybrids are fertile.  They may also occur in the wild in north-west Europe where vagrant Canada/Cackling Geese appear among Barnacle Goose flocks - there have been records of both F1 hybrids and backcrossed hybrids in north-west Scotland, for example.  Backcrossed hybrids can be difficult to determine and on our current knowledge it is not always clear whether browner-than-normal Barnacle Geese are so because they have Canada (or Cackling) Goose genes or for some other reason.  Certainly worn pure Barnacle Geese can appear browner than usual but the extent to which relatively fresh brown plumage is a certain indicator of hybridisation or not is yet to be clearly established.

Separation of Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose hybrids from Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose hybrids can be very tricky.  Some birds may be obvious on size and/or structure (such as the bird above) but many may be best left undetermined.

Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose hybrid, Abberton Reservoir (Essex, UK), 20th December 2015 - copyright Adrian Kettle

(photo ID: 2414)

Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose hybrid (with Barnacle Goose), Sweden, June or July 2002 -
copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo ID: 1105)

The next bird, a male, is large for a Barnacle Goose and was accompanying a female Barnacle Goose and four offspring which resembled Barnacle Geese.  Possibly it is a backcrossed Barnacle Goose x (Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose) hybrid?

possible Barnacle Goose x (Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose) backcrossed hybrid, Malmoe (Sweden), 11th August 2008 - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo IDs: 1058-1059)

possible Barnacle Goose x (Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose) backcrossed hybrid, Malmoe (Sweden), 1st July 2008 - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo ID: 1057)

possible Barnacle Goose x (Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose) backcrossed hybrid, Malmoe (Sweden), 23rd July 2008 - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo ID: 1037)

Here is a hybrid with one of its backcrossed offspring:

probable Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose hybrid (behind) with offspring backcrossed with Barnacle Goose (front), Sweden, June or July 2002) - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo ID: 1109)

Here is another shot of one of the backcrossed young - Carl Gunnar tells us that two of the three offspring looked like this while the third resembled a typical Barnacle Goose.

Barnacle Goose x (probable Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose hybrid) backcross, Sweden, June or July 2002) - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson

(photo ID: 1107)

Here is another feral bird from the UK:

Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose, Baffins Pond, Portsmouth (Hampshire, UK), 8th April 2015 - copyright  Eric Eddles

(photo ID: 2166)

Henry has a great series of photos.  To my eyes the bird looks a bit short-billed and short-necked compared with many Barnacled Goose x Canada Goose hybrids, and in some shots also quite square-headed.  So I wonder if one of the smaller forms of Canada Goose (or Cackling Goose) was involved.  The bird appears to be larger than the accompanying Barnacle Geese, so presumably not one of the smallest forms of Cackling Goose.  Henry points out that this bird has a stripe in its throat, a hard-to-see feature that is present in some Cackling Geese (but I'm not sure if it can also appear in Canada Geese?).

Barnacle Goose x Canada (or Cackling?) Goose (with Barnacle Geese), Turku (Finland), 18th October 2008 - copyright  Henry Lehto

(photo IDs: 2516-2522)

Barnacle Goose x Canada (or Cackling?) Goose (same bird as in photo IDs 2516-2522 above), Turku (Finland), 27th September 2008 - copyright  Henry Lehto

(photo IDs: 2523-2524)

Barnacle Goose x Canada (or Cackling?) Goose (with Barnacle Geese; same bird as in photo IDs 2516-2524 above), Turku (Finland), 5th October 2008 - copyright  Henry Lehto

(photo ID: 2525)

Barnacle Goose x Canada (or Cackling?) Goose (with Barnacle Geese; same bird as in photo IDs 2516-2525 above), Turku (Finland), 12th October 2008 - copyright  Henry Lehto

(photo ID: 2526)

The next bird was distant; although not obvious in the photos it was larger than the accompanying Barnacle Geese.

Barnacle Goose x Canada Goose hybrid (with Barnacle Goose), Hickling (Norfolk, UK), 10th August 2009 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0192-0194)

(See also: Barnacle Goose x Cackling Goose)


Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Canada Goose Branta canadensis