Cackling goose Cackling goose The cackling goose ("Branta hutchinsii") is a North American bird of the genus "Branta" of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey "Anser" species. The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" distinguish this goose from all other geese except the larger Canada goose ("Branta canadensis") and the similarly sized barnacle goose ("B. leucopsis"). There are up to 5 subspecies of cackling goose, of varying sizes and plumage details. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter and has a different voice. Some are hard to distinguish from the Canada
Branta rhuax determining the affinities so precisely and that the relationships of the bird would remain doubtful until further specimens were obtained. Branta rhuax Branta rhuax is an extinct goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It was initially described into the monotypic genus "Geochen" but assigned to "Branta" by Storrs L. Olson in 2013 after reexamination of the subfossil material. The bird was described in 1943 by Alexander Wetmore from subfossil remains originally discovered in 1926, in the course of a public works excavation of a water supply tunnel. The bones were found at a depth of 25 m beneath a prehistoric