Thursday February 23rd - Ross's Goose

 

Thursday February 23rd – Ross’s Goose

          Thursday was a free day for us, so we decided to chase a Ross’s Goose that had been hanging around a retention pond at an industrial park west of Columbus.  We arrived and drove around briefly but pretty quickly located both a Ross’s Goose and his larger cousin a Snow Goose. 

          Snow Geese occur in two color morphs: white (with black wingtips) and “blue” with a mostly blue-gray body and white head.  The two look so different that they were classified as separate species until 1973.  However, it can be challenging to distinguish a Snow Goose from a Ross’s Goose.  Ross’s Geese are smaller versions of the Snow Goose with much stubbier bills, little or no black “grin patch” and a shorter neck.  Their heads are also more rounded.  Snow Geese are more common, but the population of the Ross’s Goose has been increasing so it is important to check them closely.

                                           Ross's Goose

                                         Snow Goose (note grin patch on bill)


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