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
Swan goose in collections, and escapes are not unusual amongst feral flocks of other "Anser" and "Branta" geese. The swan goose is large and long-necked for its genus, wild birds being long (the longest "Anser" goose) and weighing or more (the second-heaviest "Anser", after the greylag goose, "A. anser"). The sexes are similar, although the male is larger, with a proportionally longer bill and neck; in fact the largest females are barely as large as the smallest males. Typical measurements of the wing are in males, in females; the bill is about long in males and in females. The tarsus of males