Month: January 2023

Brant Waterfowl Wednesday

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday! I’ve been on a goose streak the lately. Let’s talk about Brant!

Brant (branta bernicla)

Atlantic Brant (Image by David Horowitz)

Subspecies and populations

  • Atlantic or Pale-bellied (Branta bernicla hrota)
  • Pacific or Black (Branta bernicla nigricans)
  • Dark-bellied or Eurasian (Branta bernicla benicla). Known as “Brent Geese” in Western Europe.
  • Gray-bellied or Western High Arctic: found on Washington coast, breeds only in northwestern Canada on Parry Islands

Description:

  • 23-24 inches long, 2.5-3.8 pounds
  • Short neck; small bill and head
  • Black head, neck, bill, feet, and breast
  • White “necklace” markings are variable, mostly lacking in juveniles
  • Brown wings, pale flanks, white undertail
  • Belly ranges from pale brown (Atlantic subspecies) to black (Pacific subspecies)
Brant profile (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

Range and habitat:

  • Breeding: Arctic North America and Russia. Tundra, islands, deltas, salt bays, estuaries.
  • Migration: Pacific Coast from Alaska to Baja Mexico; Hudson Bay to Mid-Atlantic coast. Coastal waters, freshwater lakes, mudflats, lagoon systems behind barrier islands.
  • Winter: Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to North Carolina, Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Washington coast. Sheltered bays, estuaries.

Feeding behavior and diet

Brant are mainly vegetarian and eat a variety of grasses including eelgrass, sedge, arrowgrass, pondweed, saltmarsh cordgrass, and green algae. May also eat mollusks, aquatic insects, and worms. On land they graze on grasses and in water tip up like dabbling ducks. Mostly forages in flocks.

breeding/Nesting

  • Courtship: Socially monogamous and pair for life; however some females have been found to mate with other males during the egg-laying period. Forms pair bonds on wintering grounds.
  • Nesting: Female forms depression in the ground near water and grassy areas. She adds grasses and feathers to line the nest when ready to lay eggs. Often nests in colonies and pairs are territorial.
  • Young: Incubates 3-5 white/buffy eggs for 23-24 days. Chicks are precocial, meaning they are ready to feed, walk, and swim within a day or two of hatching and are covered in down. Both sexes tend to the goslings, who feed continuously and fledge in 40-50 days. Family groups tend to stay together even within large colonies/flocks.

Vocalizations

Guttural low ruk-ruk! A sharp cruk! alarm call. Goslings peep.

Conservation status

Population trends are unknown, though Brant are thought to be declining. Due to their restricted Arctic breeding ranges, Brant are very vulnerable to climate change. Threats facing Brant include habitat loss, global warming, sea level rise, petroleum development in breeding grounds, and water quality issues. As global temperatures rise, it’s predicted that Brant ranges will shift considerably northward and will lose about 52% of their current range if global temperatures warm over 3.0 degrees Celsius. Eelgrass restoration along their habitats have helped stabilize winter Brant populations.

Brant flying over the Cape Cod Bay (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

Fun facts

  • Brant are long-distance migrants and some travel over 3,000 miles from winter to breeding grounds.
  • Flocks have a distinct hierarchy: paired birds with young rank higher than paired birds with no young. Pairs without young dominate unpaired birds.
  • Individuals tend to pair with a mate who have a similar amount of white “necklace”. The Pacific subspecies tends to have the most pronounced “necklace” while Atlantic tends to have less white.

References

Cackling or Canada?

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday! Last week we talked about the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) and its 7 subspecies. For awhile it was commonly accepted that there were 11 Canada subspecies, but in 2004 the American Ornithologists Union took the four smallest and declared them a separate species: the Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii). Why did this happen? How can you tell if the white-cheeked goose you’re seeing is a Canada or a Cackling?

Cackling Goose (ALAN SCHMIERER, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Cackling vs. Canada Identification
CacklingCanada
Height24-25 inches (63-65 cm)29-43 inches (76-110 cm)
Weight3-5 lbs6-20 lbs
Color PatternBrown overall, varying from pale to dark depending on subspecies. White under black tail. Short black neck.Brown back, black head/neck, tan breast
Facial features Black head with white/throat patch (“chinstrap”). Some have white ring at base of neck. Rounded crown but steep forehead. Black head with white/throat patch (“chinstrap”). Rounded head with sloping forehead.
Bill color/shapeBlack. Short. Meets forehead at a steep angle.Black. Wide and flat.
Other featuresSmall black feet and short black legs. Long wings.Large black feet and black legs.
Cackling vs. Canada Geese identification features

Size is a good first indicator to identifying a Cackling Goose. They tend to be very small. They are about the same size as a Mallard, Brant, or Barnacle Goose and are smaller than Snow Geese. However, it’s important to be aware that they may be similar in size to smaller Canada Goose subspecies, so it’s important to not rely only on size and use other features for identification too. There is also much variation between the four Cackling subspecies. American ornithologist David Allen Sibley suggests getting to know your local flocks and being aware of geographic differences. They are very often found in mixed flocks with Canada Geese.

Cackling vs. Canada Goose (Caleb Putnam, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Subspecies and Ranges
  • Branta hutchinsii minima (“Ridgeway”): Breeds in western Alaska and winters in California and Oregon. Smallest of the 4 subspecies (2.5-4 lbs) and has the shortest bill.
  • Branta hutchinsii leucopareia (“Aleutian”): Breeds in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Winters in California. White “collar” where black neck meets brown body.
  • Branta hutchinsii taverneri (“Taverner’s” or “Alaska”): Breeds in Alaska and Northwest Canada, rare east of the Rocky Mountains. Winters in Washington, Oregon, and southwestern United States. Closest in size/appearance to Canada Goose parvipes subspecies, so use caution with identification.
  • Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii (“Richardson’s” or “Hutchin’s”): Breeds Central and East Arctic Canada. Migrates to Great Plains. Paler in color and lacks white neck ring.

Some subspecies will rarely winter in the northeastern United States down the Atlantic Coast into the Gulf Coast.

Why the split?

There’s a bit of a debate with scientists about whether the split of Cackling Geese from Canada Geese is appropriate. The two species do tend to hybridize in some locations, which complicates the situation. The 2004 split is based on evidence of differences in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the two species. Studies by Shields and Wilson (1987a and 1987b) found a 2% difference in the mtDNA and suggests that the two species diverged about one million years ago. Even within Cackling subspecies there are have been differences in evolutionary selection pressures due to geographical isolation. The breeding habitats are of minima and leucopareia are distinctly different from taverneri and hutchinsii.

So the next time you are looking at a flock of Canada Geese you may not be looking at only Canada Geese. A Cackling Goose may be among the ranks. It’s always worth a closer look. Happy goose watching!

References

Canada Goose Subspecies

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday friends! It’s been quite awhile since the last one, but this winter I’d like to bring it back. It is waterfowl season after all.

One of our most widespread North American species is the Canada Goose, Branta canadensis. It seems like Canada Geese get mixed reactions from birders, being so common in some suburban areas that many people consider them pests. However, Joe Van Wormer, an Oregonian author and wildlife photographer sings their praises in his 1968 book The World of the Canada Goose. Van Wormer’s enthusiasm for the species is infectious and shows a side of a species that many people don’t seem to understand or appreciate. One of my favorite quotes from Van Wormer’s book: “Once a Canada goose has its complete set of feathers it should be forgiven for seeming to strut a bit, for its plumage is now one of the finest in the bird world. It may not be as flashy as a wood duck’s but it is neat and handsome.”

Canada Goose (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

One of the most interesting things I learned among the plethora of interesting facts is how many subspecies there are. At the time of Van Wormer’s writing there were at least 11 recognized subspecies, but in 2004 the four smallest subspecies were combined into a different species: the Cackling Goose. The plumage of the Canada subspecies tend to get darker as you move westward and their size gets smaller as you move northward. Let’s explore the 7 different Canada Goose subspecies from largest to smallest:

Canada Goose map (Michael O’Keeffe, 2009 via http://www.irbc.ie/announcements/announce68.php)
Branta canadensis maxima: “Giant”
  • 10-18 pounds, some up to 20 pounds
  • elongated neck, almost swanlike compared to other subspecies
  • lighter in color than interior subspecies
  • extensive cheek patches that often forms a small backward-projecting hook
  • some have a white forehead patch, many a white ring at base of neck
  • Thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1960 by Harold C. Hanson
  • Range: central and northern United States, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario
Branta canadensis moffitti: “Western”
  • 2nd in size to Giant Canada goose. Average around 8 pounds, but some 12-15 pounds
  • Breast move “silvery” than other subspecies
  • Range: United States western interior around Rocky Mountains, western Canada
Branta canadensis interior: “Todd’s”
  • 6-11 pounds
  • medium in color
  • most numerous of all the subspecies; as many as all the other subspecies combined
  • Range: Central Canada and Central/Southern United States
Branta canadensis canadensis: “Atlantic”
  • 6-11 pounds
  • lighter than Todd’s with more white underparts and whitish area between base of neck and back
  • Introduced in England, Scotland, Iceland, and New Zealand
  • Range: Atlantic seaboard from Nova Scotia to North Carolina
Branta canadensis fulva: “Vancouver
  • 6-13 pounds
  • 1 of 2 “dark” races (including “Dusky”)
  • Range: Glacier Bay Alaska, south coast and islands of British Columbia to north Vancouver Island
  • Possibly the least migratory of all Canada Geese: approximately 90% winter on breeding grounds. Others migrate to Willamette Valley of Oregon or northern California
Branta canadensis occidentalis: “Dusky”
  • slightly smaller than Vancouver
  • chocolate colored
  • Range: southern coast of Alaska, migrates offshore and winters in Willamette Valley
Branta candensis parvipes: “Lesser”
  • about 6 pounds
  • lighter brown plumage
  • Range: Northwest Territories of Canada, southern Victoria Island, central/east Alaska. Winters in Oklahoma, Texas, Mexico, and California.

Next Waterfowl Wednesday we’ll explore the Cackling Goose and its split from the Canada Goose. What do you think about Canada Geese? Tell me about it in the comments.

References

New Year, New Birds!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful 2022.

Today Dave, Baby Birder, and I started 2023 with our first birding trip of the year and it’s sure going to be hard to beat in the future! The NH Rare Bird List has been pretty active over the last week and I’ve been keeping my eye on two species in particular. I decided that today would be the day to pursue them since they have been observed reliably in the same locations for over a week.

So we made our way out to the Seacoast this morning with high hopes to spot two western species: the Western Tanager and Mountain Bluebird.

Western Tanager (Photo by David Horowitz)
Western Tanager (Photo by David Horowitz)

Our first rarity of the day was a female Western Tanager. She was busy feeding along the apple trees on the side of the road. As their name suggests, Western Tanagers breed in the western United States and Canada and winter in Central America. Females are yellow with black backs/wings, have two wing bars, and a heavy orange bill. Males are a brighter yellow and have flaming bright orange-red heads during breeding season. Fun fact: tanagers are actually part of the cardinal family. Our beautiful little friend was quite a delight!

Our second rarity was a Mountain Bluebird who has been hanging out with the Eastern Bluebirds at a park not far from the tanager’s location. This gorgeous male was light blue with a pale gray belly and vibrant blue tail feathers. Another western species, Mountain Bluebirds breed in western Canada and northwest United States and winter in the southwest, Mexico, and California coast. Some populations are year-round residents in the interior west. One of the fun things about this find was that I ran into one of my friends there, so we got to find the bluebird together!

Mountain Bluebird (Photo by Michelle Horowitz)
Mountain Bluebird (Photo by Michelle Horowitz)

What an amazing start to 2023! I think this is the first time we observed two rare birds in one day. I can’t wait to see what other birding adventures 2023 brings!

My first bird of 2023 was an American Crow. What was your first bird of the year? Tell me about it in the comments. Also, since it’s winter, be on the lookout for a new Waterfowl Wednesday coming soon! Happy birding!

References