Blue goose

[David Hyde]

Hey Cobirders, I just spotted this goose in with hundreds of Canada geese on Lake McIntosh in Longmont. Does it qualify as an adult blue-morph Ross's goose?

[David Hyde]

Thank you all for your remarks. I've studied the photos i took and those online and it does look more like a Ross'sXCackling hybrid. I note that Peter Burke spotted one on Lake McIntosh in January 2018! Not a rarity but I've never seen one before so, happy to record this hybrid in my records and spend a pleasant few hours sorting it out :) 

On Fri, Nov 28, 2025 at 3:37 PM David Suddjian <dsud...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi,

I think that is a hybrid Cackling x Ross's or Snow. Blue forms have more dark extending up the neck, differently patterned wing (more fancy) and quite a dark neck on Ross's (the Blue form of which is quite rare). And the goose it is with here is a Cackling - small size, small bill, steep forehead.

The hybrid "cheeked" x white geese are fairly regular, usually with Cackling as their breeding range overlaps. Real blue morphs are fairly rare in the Front Range area but common our east in the prairie counties like Logan and Washington. 

David Suddjian

On Fri, Nov 28, 2025 at 3:29 PM David Hyde <davidh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey Cobirders, I just spotted this goose in with hundreds of Canada geese on Lake McIntosh in Longmont. Does it qualify as an adult blue-morph Ross's goose?

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[Gary Bowen (Thornton)]

Might it be this bird from early this morning at McIntosh Lake?

Regards,

Gary Bowen

Thornton, CO

[David Hyde]

This does look like the same hybrid goose. I have a question: if two species hybridize that means (does it not?) that they are close to each other on the species list. So how come we have a branta hybridizing with an anser?

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[David Suddjian]

Intergeneric hybrids are not unheard of, and in the waterfowl family the genetic relationships are closer than they might appear based on phenotype.  There are quite a few known hybrid combos among geese and ducks that cross generic boundaries. We see it in warblers and sparrows, too, and other groups.

By way of a waterfowl example, the Birds of the World account for Mallard lists hybrids between Mallards (genus Anas) and members of 8 other genera!  

https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/mallar3/cur/systematics#hybrid  (a subscription is needed to view the account).

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO

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[G B]

I have uploaded 19 images from McIntosh Lake (Friday) to my Box account. All free to download for non commercial use.

I ran a mild denoise and gentle color temp correction only (not show quality, just ruffed-in).

McIntosh Lake goose

Regards,

Gary Bowen

Thornton, CO