Branta hutchinsii
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii) is a species of goose found in North America and East Asia. The genus name Branta is a Latinised form of Old Norse Brandgás, "burnt (black) goose", and the specific epithet hutchinsii commemorates English surgeon Thomas Hutchins who was employed by the Hudson's Bay Company.
The cackling goose was originally considered the same species or a subspecies of the Canada goose, but in July 2004 the American Ornithologists' Union's (AOU) Committee on Classification and Nomenclature split the two into two species, making cackling goose into a full species with the scientific name Branta hutchinsii. The British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) followed suit in June 2005.
The AOU has divided the many associated subspecies between both animals. To the present species were assigned: The distinctions between the two geese have led to a great deal of confusion and debate among ornithologists... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Zoo d'Amiens | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Beijing Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Shubenacadie Wildlife Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Novosibirsk Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 7 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Nyíregyháza Zoo | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 9 | Chapultepec Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Vogelpark Avifauna | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 11 | Inokashira Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 12 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 13 | Belgrade Zoo | 🇷🇸 Serbia | |
| 14 | Zoo Lagos | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 15 | Paupau Aqua Garden | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cackling Goose sighting in Calgary on a given day, based on 258 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 148th most-seen of the 259 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cackling Goose in Calgary on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months. That is one of Calgary's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 120 mm in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cackling Goose sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 26
Of the 26 cities where we can rate Cackling Goose sightings, Calgary ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Ciudad Juárez (México, about 60%), Portland (United States, about 20%) and Denver (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cackling Goose is recorded against all the birds logged in Calgary (258 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
