Odd Canada goose (Pinkbilled)

Gestart door Alcedo atthis, februari 21, 2007, 15:55:11 PM

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Alcedo atthis

Odd Canada goose (Pinkbilled)... what do you think this is?

hybrid, backcross or mutant?

head of normal canada goose added for comparison...
greetings,
Jörn Lehmhus

tekenaar

#1
Backcross seems unlikely to me because I never heard of a fertile hybrid between Anser and Branta spp. Anser x Branta hybrids usually have either flesh or orange coloured legs (but darker and less bright than in a pure Anser) and this bird seems to have dark legs. I am not certain, but am tempted to believe that this might be a mutation rather than a hybrid...

Juvenile? (indistinct division between dark neck colour and pale brest, shape of back feathers, not completely black legs)
Paul Veenvliet
dieren en planten tekeningen: https://paulveenvliet.art/
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laatvlieger

#2
Ik ga met Paul mee in zijn redenering, het enige dat ik me nog afvraag is of die oogring nu echt geel is?

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I would think the same as Paul. But I am only wondering about the eyering, is it really yellow?
Groet,

Wouter Teunissen


Mijn Weblog: http://birdboredom.blogspot.com/

Alcedo atthis

It was indeed a juvenile, as you found out from the  rather diffuse border of the black neck sock and the rounded mantle feathers.

This bird was with a pair of completely normal looking adult canada geese, and it was slightly smaller than the female of that pair and clearly smaller than the male.

the bill gave the impression to be a bit more massive than the bill of the adult canadas , also the head shape differed slightly.

The eyering was a fleshy colour,but a bit different from the pinkish bill colour (This is a scan from a colour slide,so the colours appear a bit colder than in reality and on the original slide).

the legs of all canadas at that day did appear dark greyish , but not totally black,maybe the juveniles legs were a touch lighter.

The dark legs made me think of a backcross as well as the perfectly canada shaped  whitish patch on the head....I also have never found proof of an Anser x Branta hybrid being fertile...but this bird is just what i could imagine as the possible looks of  a backcross of a hybrid with a Canada...
greetings,
Jörn Lehmhus