Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid

Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis x Ross's Goose Anser rossii hybrid

For a few years at least this seemed to be the most frequently-occurring goose hybrid in Norfolk, although I am not sure why. Several reports of Snow Geese have turned out to be these birds.

This first two shown here were alongside two Ross's Geese among a flock of feral Barnacle Geese.

2x Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrids, Snettisham RSPB reserve (Norfolk, UK), 17th March 2009

The following two birds were photographed in a wildfowl collection but according to the owner they did not belong there and arrived on their own accord. In most respects they resemble other examples of this hybrid but the neck appears a bit long in some photos. The possibility that Canada or Cackling Goose might be a parent instead of Barnacle Goose is perhaps not completely eliminated, but I would expect it to look browner if that were the case. Note how one of the birds has a much brighter bill than the other.

2x Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrids, Blakeney Quay wildfowl collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th February 2011

Although never far away from feral Barnacle Geese the next bird was often mingling with wild Pink-footed Geese, and was sometimes reported erroneously by the rare bird news services as a blue morph Lesser Snow Goose.

Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid (with Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese), Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 12th January 2013

This bird remained asleep for the whole duration of my visit, but as I knew there was a Ross's x Barnacle Goose here I assumed it was the same bird.

Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid, Cleethorpe (Lincolneshire, UK), 7th April 2012

The next individual normally associated with a small feral flock containing both Barnacle Geese and Ross's Geese, although when I first saw it it was in a flock of Canada Geese.

Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid (with Canada Geese), Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010

This was the same bird.

Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid (with Canada Geese), Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 3rd January 2011

This bird was also reported at nearby Bayfield Lake, which is the same location as where the next photos were taken three years later. However the two birds photographed this time were much closer to Barnacle Goose in appearance than this hybrid usually appears, prompting questions over whether they could be backcrossed. The working assumption is that this intra-generic hybrid are normally infertile, in which case they are unlikely to be backcrossed, so either it's just within variation for the hybrid or else the assumption is incorrect.

2x Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrids, Bayfield Lake (Norfolk, UK), 25th January 2014

Another bird that turned up among feral geese in Norfolk - perhaps one of the same birds as seen elsewhere?

Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid, Raynham Lake (Norfolk, UK), 2nd April 2012

Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid (with Barnacle Goose), Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 19th December 2015

The next bird appeared among wild Pink-footed Geese. Unfortunately it was very distant so not seen well, and photographed even less well. Even in poor views it was clearly different from the widely-observed Emperor Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid that had been wintering with Pink-footed Geese in Norfolk during previous winters, being much smaller, darker backed, having more white on the neck and a duller bill. It seems to fit Ross's x Barnacle fairly well, but had more white in the tail than this hybrid usually shows.

Barnacle Goose x Ross's Goose hybrid (with Pink-footed Goose), between Amner and Shernborne (Norfolk, UK), 9th January 2011

For comparison, here are photos of the parent species.

Barnacle Goose, south of Brancaster (Norfolk, UK), 30th October 2007 and Ross's Goose, Snettisham (Norfolk, UK), 26th December 2014

For more photos of these species follow the links below: