Today when I was observing Canada Geese at Cameron Run, a tributary stream of the Potomac River, I noticed one goose that looked really different. His bill and his legs were pinkish in color, unlike his companions, who had black bills and legs; his cheek patch was brownish in color rather than bright white; and there was a black and white mottled area between his eyes and his beak.
I went searching through identification guides on the internet and it seems likely to me that this is a hybrid goose and not a separate species. One of the problems with hybrids, of course, is that there are lots of different combinations that are possible. I saw one photo that looked a little like this goose that was a probable hybrid of a Canada Goose and a Greylag Goose, but it was from the United Kingdom. Some of the photos of the dark morph of the Snow Goose also look a little like this goose.
If anyone has any ideas, I’d love to have assistance in identifying this goose.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved



I agree with your hybrid idea. Here are photos of similar looking birds in Ithaca NY. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/domgeese.htm
In any case, it’s a fine-looking hybrid.
I think hybrid is right. There is nothing genetically keeping grey, white, or black geese from interbreeding. We have one mostly white goose with some few grey feathers. She’s not full grown yet, but I think she will be female and has already chosen the white male. We’ll see.