Little Canada Goose
| Little Canada Goose | ||||||||||||
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Little Canada Goose ( Branta hutchinsii ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Branta hutchinsii | ||||||||||||
| ( Richardson , 1832) |
The Little Canada Goose ( Branta hutchinsii ) is a species of goose from the duck family ; it has only been recognized as an independent species since 2004. The subspecies that are now known as pygmy Canada goose were previously assigned to the Canada goose . Taxonomists had repeatedly called for the subspecies of the Canada goose to be broken down into at least two, if not three or four new species since the 1970s. The separation into two types was passed by the American Ornithologist Union in 2004; the British Ornithologists Union followed suit in June 2005.
The Little Canada Goose is found from Canada to Mexico and Japan.
The IUCN puts the total population of the species at 100,000 to one million animals and classifies them as 
(= least concern - not endangered).
features
Like the Canada goose, the pygmy Canada goose also has a white throat band. It is not easy to distinguish between the species now assigned to the Canada goose, as the species are very similar. It is basically a bit smaller than the Canada goose and has a short neck and beak. Their plumage is either completely dark in color or it is dark with a light neck ring. Compared to the Canada goose, their voice is higher and clearer. She calls “ gek - gek ”, “ jilk-jilk a-lick ” or “ aik ”.
In the literature it is occasionally pointed out that Canada geese show greater loyalty to nesting sites the further north they breed. One refers to the pygmy Canada goose. This species only has a short window of time to successfully raise its young. She therefore has to start building her nests as soon as she returns and often chooses locations where she has successfully raised her young the year before.
proof
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans-Heiner Bergmann; Hans-Wolfgang Helb; Sabine Baumann; The voices of the birds of Europe - 474 bird portraits with 914 calls and chants on 2,200 sonograms , Aula-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2008, ISBN 978-3-89104-710-1
- ↑ see for example Rutschke, p. 176
literature
- Jonathan Alderfer (Ed.): Complete Birds of North America , National Geographic, Washington DC 2006, ISBN 0-7922-4175-4
Web links
- Branta hutchinsii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2013.