CanadaXBarnacle hybrid? Clingendael, NL (1 Viewer)

[MaxesTaxes]

Hi all,
I was looking back through some old photos of mine and found this one. Taken in Clingendael, The Hague, Netherlands on December 26th 2021. It was in a flock of Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis). Is this a Canada Goose X Barnacle Goose hybrid? It looks quite a bit like a Cackling Goose but those shouldn't really occur in the Netherlands, so I think a hybrid is a more sensible guess.
Thanks in advance,
Max

 

[THE_FERN]

Looks like it. I think the proportions are wrong for cackling goose. Your bird looks like a thin neck and small head have been glued on to the body of a much larger bird. Suspect cackling would seem more cohesive

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

yes, probably Canada x Barnacle from phenotype,

but more complex hybrids / later generation crosses are possible involving Canada, Cackling and Barnacle goose , especially north of Amsterdam .... so not 100% safely ID-able...

 

[stevethehydra]

I'd say it's fairly certain that there is some Barnacle genes in it (white forehead patch, generally greyer upperparts than a Canada/Cackling).

Also, the black around the eye on the bird behind it seems to be connected to the black crown - so I wonder if that bird also isn't a pure Barnacle...

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Yes, Barnacle clearly is involved in the obvious hybrid- I hope that was clear from my previous post . I think the other bird is still in variation of barnacle goose , but at the extreme end.

 

[jurek]

Barnacle x Canada or Barnacle x Cackling hybrid. Barnacle, Canada and Cackling Geese all breed in north Netherlands as escaped populations, and hybridize freely in multiple generations.

Dark breast, white forehead spot and grey back color come from Barnacle Goose. White cheek, diluted breast color and diluted back color (not pure silver-white) come from Canada or Cackling Goose. But I would not be bold to say, what % of its genes is from what species.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Barnacle x Canada or Barnacle x Cackling hybrid. Barnacle, Canada and Cackling Geese all breed in north Netherlands as escaped populations, and hybridize freely in multiple generations.

Dark breast, white forehead spot and grey back color come from Barnacle Goose. White cheek, diluted breast color and diluted back color (not pure silver-white) come from Canada or Cackling Goose. But I would not be bold to say, what % of its genes is from what species.

i wouldn´t restrict it to either

Barnacle x Canada or Barnacle x Cackling hybrid

as these hybrids are fertile... all 3 species can be involved in the ancestry of one such bird in this region

here are some examples of birds with hybrid ancestry , mostly small groups in larger Barnacle goose groups, but the latter photo more Canada-like with a phenotypically pure Atlantic Canada goose on the right

https://flic.kr/p/2nXqB3u

https://flic.kr/p/2nXrwQW

https://flic.kr/p/2nXmDhR

https://flic.kr/p/2cfjBcH

https://flic.kr/p/k9Dmqu

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

The bird in the far right on MaxesTaxes photo also must have hybrid ancestry as there is no contrast between mantle/wings and flanks