Canada Goose - Cackling Split

[Tim Avery <tanager at timaverybirding dot com>]

For those of you who don't know, the 45th supplement of the AOU checklist has
just been released.  If you are not familiar with the AOU Checklist, it governs
taxonomy (including splits/lumps, common names, scientific names, and order) of
North American species. Note that the ABA Checklist is what governs the
publication of the ABA listers totals; the ABA typically issues their own
report subsequent to the release of AOU supplements.

This years most drastic change was splitting Cackling Goose (former
Canada Goose subspecies hutchinsii [Richarson's], asiatica
[Bering-extinct?], leucopareia [Aleutian], taverneri [part of the Lesser
complex], and minima.), from Canada Goose.

So now we not only have Canada Goose, but also Cackling Goose.  The Cackling
Goose is a much smaller goose, look at your Sibley's at the Lesser and
Richardson's subspecies for size comparison.  So keep your eyes open during
migration for these tiny "canada"-like geese.

good birding.

Tim

Salt Lake City, UT or Beloit, WI
http://www.timaverybirding.com

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