Mystery Bird: Ross's Goose, Chen rossii

grrlscientist — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:59:15 +0000

tags: Ross's Goose, Chen rossii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

~~[Mystery bird]~~ Ross's Goose, Chen rossii, photographed at Tom Bass Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]

Image: Joseph Kennedy, 11 August 2009 [larger view].

Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.

Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.

~~[Mystery bird]~~ Ross's Goose, Chen rossii, photographed at Tom Bass Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]

Image: Joseph Kennedy, 11 August 2009 [larger view].

Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.

Review all mystery birds to date.

grrlscientist Fri, 08/28/2009 - 03:59

I would guess that is a snow goose. Just going by the black on the wings and the fact that it looks goose like.

I'm not sure that this bird is identifiable to species. The gray primary coverts with black shafts appear to rule out American White Pelican and White Ibis, and the pinkish legs rule out Wood Stork and Whooping Crane. Snow Goose and Ross' Goose seem to be the only possibilities left. Unfortunately, either one would be out of season, which happens, and I don't know how to distinguish the two species at this angle. Anyone else?

As already noted, it's either a Snow or Ross's Goose. Although out-of-season for either, the location makes Snow Goose much more likely. But the real evidence is the rusty staining on the feathers - something that's common on Snow Geese, but rare on Ross's Geese. Though this is not completely definitive, I would say the preponderance of evidence points to Snow Goose for this bird.

i was afraid that i had gone "too minimalist" with this image, so i added a second one below the jump that might provide a hint. it too, is quite minimalist, though, so we shall see if it helps you at all.

I'm going for Ross' goose. The bill looks pretty delicate for a snow goose, and the nasal process is very short--good for Ross'.
Looks like FB works pretty well for promoting blogs, huh? ;-)

This is a Ross's Goose. The rear edge of the bill shows a sharp angle, whereas on a Snow Goose this should curve smoothly.