Canada Goose x domestic Swan Goose hybrid

Canada Goose Branta canadensis x domestic Swan Goose Anser cygnoides hybrid

Many domestic geese contain a mix of Swan Goose and Greylag Goose genes and when such mixed-species domestic geese hybridise with Canada Geese the offspring may resemble either Canada Goose x Swan Goose hybrids or Canada Goose x Greylag Goose hybrids - sometimes both in a single brood. The birds on this page resemble domestic Swan Goose x Canada Goose hybrids, but I cannot exclude the possibility that the domestic parent had a mix of Swan Goose and Greylag Goose genes. Birds that show clearer evidence of both Swan Goose and Greylag Goose (as well as Canada Goose) in their ancestry are on a separate page: Canada Goose x (Greylag Goose x Swan Goose) trigen.

I am not certain of this bird's identity as it only offered a brief flight view and I was unable to relocate the bird. But it must have been a hybrid between a white-cheeked Branta and an Anser, and in view of the black bill Canada x Swan seems a good bet.

probable Canada Goose x domestic Swan Goose hybrid (with Greylag Goose), Santon Downham (Norfolk, UK), 4th April 2015

I initially thought this one was most likely a Barnacle Goose hybrid but it was later pointed out to me that Canada Goose hybrids sometimes show dark extending on to the breast with an unexpectedly well-marked border at the bottom of this. Although I can't discount the possibility that it was Barnacle Goose x Swan Goose, the structure did not resemble Barnacle Goose in any way.

probable Canada Goose x domestic Swan Goose hybrid (with Greylag Goose), Welney (Norfolk, UK), 28th March 2009

For comparison, here are photos of the parent species.

Canada Goose, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 16th August 2008 and domestic Swan Goose, Abberton Reservoir (Essex, UK), 21st August 2004

For more photos of these species follow the links below: