Greylag Goose x Greater White-fronted Goose hybrid

Greylag Goose Anser anser x Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons hybrid

This hybrid is rarely reported but can easily be overlooked. Observers of potential hybrids should be careful to eliminate pure Greylag Goose as these may show white around the base of the bill and some dark barring on the belly.

This bird was very similar to Greylag Goose but apart from its head pattern resembling White-fronted Goose and a few markings on the belly, it showed a subtly narrower pink-orange bill, a distinct white flank line, darker upperwings in flight (although this was only seen in near-darkness, so difficult to assess accurately) and its call was more reminiscent of White-fronted Goose.

Greylag Goose x Greater White-fronted Goose hybrid (with Greylag Geese), Stiffkey Fen (Norfolk, UK), 9th November 2013

I returned a couple of weeks later and managed to get a slightly better view.

Greylag Goose x Greater White-fronted Goose hybrid (with Greylag Geese and Lapwings), Stiffkey Fen (Norfolk, UK), 24th November 2013

For comparison, here are photos of the parent species.

Greylag Goose, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 28th December 2011 and Russian White-fronted Geese, Holkham (Norfolk, UK), 15th January 2015

For more photos of these species follow the links below: