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 Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 89 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 124th most-seen of the 223 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.
March and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cackling Goose in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and April–October, the lowest months.
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.
8th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Cackling Goose sightings, Rocky Mountain National Park ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (Canada, about 10%), Olympic National Park (United States, under 5%) and Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cackling Goose is recorded against all the birds logged in Rocky Mountain National Park (89 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
