Bird Hybrids: Emperor Goose x Snow Goose

captive Emperor Goose x Snow Goose hybrid, Oost, Texel (Netherlands), 18th February 2012 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo ID: 0636)

The Snow Goose parent in this example was a blue morph bird.

captive Emperor Goose x Snow Goose hybrid (same as in photo ID 0636 above), Oost, Texel (Netherlands), 18th February 2012 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo ID: 0635)

This hybrid is fertile and has bred with Emperor Geese to produce backcrossed young in at least two summers. Below is a first winter back-crossed hybrid showing greyish in the bill and dark feathering in the head, features of immaturity. This bird closely resembles Emperor Goose but note the white chin.

captive first-winter Emperor Goose x (Emperor Goose x Snow Goose) backcrossed hybrid, Oost, Texel (Netherlands), 18th February 2012 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo IDs: 0637-0638)

The next birds are also backcrossed, but are a year older. These too are very close to Emperor Goose in appearance but in addition to the white chin Joern noted that the feather fringes on one (but not the other) were blue-grey, not so white as on Emperor Goose. The first two photos show one individual (the one with blue-grey fringes) and the next to show a slightly paler individual. In the top photo the bird on the right is the father Emperor Goose x Snow Goose F1 hybrid.

captive Emperor Goose x (Emperor Goose x Snow Goose) backcrossed hybrids, Oost, Texel (Netherlands), 18th February 2012 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo IDs: 0639-0642)

captive Emperor Goose x Snow Goose hybrid family (Emperor Goose x (Emperor Goose x Snow Goose) backcrossed hybrid (front left, same bird as in photo IDs 0639-0640); Emperor Goose x Snow Goose father (behind); Emperor Goose x (Emperor Goose x Snow Goose) backcrossed hybrid (centre, same bird as in photo IDs 0641-0642); first-winter Emperor Goose x (Emperor Goose x Snow Goose) backcrossed hybrid (front right, same bird as in photo IDs 0637-0638); Emperor Goose mother (back right), Oost, Texel (Netherlands), 18th February 2012 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo ID: 0643)

Here are the some of the same birds from autumn 2010 when the backcrosses were still quite young.

captive Emperor Goose x Snow Goose hybrid (front, with Emperor Goose behind - the father and mother of the backrossed hybrids), Oost, Texel (Netherlands), September 2010 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo ID: 0715)

captive Emperor Goose x (Emperor Goose x Snow Goose) backcrossed hybrids (with Emperor Goose mother in first photo and Emperor Goose x Snow Goose hybrid father in second photo), Oost, Texel (Netherlands), September 2010 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo IDs: 0712-0714)

Here is the F1 hybrid with its pure Emperor Goose partner before the backcrossed young were produced, in 2009.