Greater White-fronted Goose?

[Vicsr]

During a lakeshore tour from Port Hope to Oshawa we photographed the goose shown in the picture links among some swans & Canada Geese at the Newcastle harbour. Someone there told us it was a Greater White-fronted Goose but on checking our field guide  (& on the internet) there were a couple of differences. Please help us ID this bird correctly. I have only put up three links but there will be other views posted in the same folder on our website.

http://picsbyvicsr.smugmug.com/gallery/7019695_NPrVH/1/481355874_e6QRx/Medium

http://picsbyvicsr.smugmug.com/gallery/7019695_NPrVH/1/481356371_M3q9J/Medium

http://picsbyvicsr.smugmug.com/gallery/7019695_NPrVH/1/481355686_qjWhe/Medium

[thouc]

It's definitely not a pure Greater White-fronted Goose even if it has some features of it (white forehead, orange legs.) The black beak looks like Canada Goose and the head-neck pattern doens't look like any Goose I know of.
I would say it's a hybrid, maybe Greater White-fronted x Canada.

/Thomas

[Tyler]

That is a domestic Swan Goose. It has been at Newcastle harbour for a few winters now.

It is a relative common escapee .


It is native to mongolia and eastern Russia

http://www.werc.usgs.gov/sattrack/swang ... index.html

here a one of the many domestic versions of this specie

http://www.dpughphoto.com/images/myster ... 07%202.JPG

[Vicsr]

Thank you for identifying the goose. One of the great things about this board is the wealth of knowledge available to relative newcomers to the world of birding.

Vic

[thouc]

Neat, got to learn to recongnize a new species.