Cackling Goose

There used to be 11 races of Canada Geese. Now the smallest four subspecies are recognized as a distinct species—the Cackling Goose, which breeds further west and north than the larger birds. This goose is abundant at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in the non-breeding seasons. Erika and I counted over 1000 individuals on 22 October 2019. The smallest Cackling Geese are only a quarter of the size of the largest Canada Geese, but small Canada Geese and large Cackling Geese are sometimes hard to separate. Generally, Cackling Geese have small, rounder heads an much smaller, stubbier bills.