The distinctions between the two geese have led to confusion and debate among ornithologists. This has been aggravated by the overlap between the small types of Canada goose and larger types of cackling goose. The old "lesser Canada geese" were believed to be a partly hybrid population, with the birds named "B. c. taverneri" considered a mixture of "B. c. minima", "B. c. occidentalis", and "B. c. parvipes". The holotype specimen of "taverneri" is a straightforward large pale cackling goose however, and hence the taxon is still valid today and was renamed "Taverner's cackling goose".