The Aleutian cackling goose (''Branta hutchinsii leucopareia''), is a small

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...

of the

cackling goose The cackling goose (''Branta hutchinsii'') is a species of goose found in North America. Description The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" distinguish this goose from all other geese except the larger Canada goose (''Branta canadensis'' ...

averaging in weight. It was one of 122 species of animals, birds, and fish first documented for science by the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Corps of Discovery).

Taxonomy

It was formerly thought to be a subspecies of the

Canada goose The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

, as ''Branta canadensis leucopareia''. The Bering cackling goose, a related population/subspecies, lived on the Komandorski and

Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the ...

. This population was not markedly distinct from the Aleutian one, and is debated as to the validity of the subspecies, as ''B. h. asiatica''. By about 1920 or so (last seen either in 1914 or 1929), the birds went

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

from predation by humans and

Arctic fox The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in co ...

es.

Description

The Aleutian cackling goose has the typical black head and neck, white cheek patches, grayish brown back and wings, white rump, black tail feathers, legs, and feet of the species. It is distinguished by a conspicuous white neck ring at the base of the neck that, in adult plumage, is usually greater than wide and is subtended by a ring of darker feathers. The cheek patches are usually separated by a black line under the throat and the breast is a pale grayish-brown color, although a small number of lighter- and darker-breasted birds occur. The westernmost population did not appreciably differ in color, except that the neck ring was always very wide and white in the few attested specimens. Similar in appearance is the

small cackling goose The small cackling goose (''Branta hutchinsii minima''), also known as the Ridgway's goose, is the smallest subspecies of cackling goose and the smallest variant of white-cheeked goose. Description ''Ridgway’s geese'' are the smallest of the ...

(''B. h. minima''), which is smaller in size and has a dark breast color with a purplish or brownish cast, whereas Taverner's cackling goose (''B. h. taverneri'') is larger and has a lighter breast color. Both ''B. h. minima'' and ''B. h. taverneri'' sometimes have white neck rings, but these are usually narrow or indistinct.

Conservation

The primary threat to the Aleutian cackling goose has been the Arctic fox, introduced to the Aleutian Islands by Russian fur traders between 1836 and 1930. The Aleutian cackling goose was considered extinct until a colony was discovered on

Buldir Island Buldir Island (also sometimes written Buldyr; ale, Idmaax; russian: Булдырь) is a small island in the western Aleutian Islands of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is long and wide with an area of . Buldir is farther from the nearest lan ...

in 1962. Since then, the Aleutian cackling goose has made a comeback and was removed from the endangered species list in 2001.

Breeding

Aleutian cackling geese typically arrive in California in mid-October each year. The majority of the population goes right to its primary wintering areas in the Central Valley. However, since 2002, a relatively small (1500-5000) number of geese spend fall and winter on the northern coast. Around late December, the geese wintering in the Central Valley begin moving north, and by mid-February, most of the Aleutian cackling goose population is located in northwestern California until they depart for the Aleutian Islands in mid-April. As of 2004, Humboldt County began receiving the majority of Aleutian cackling geese on the northwestern coast from January through April.

References

External links