Eagle head goose or hybrid?

[Gunnersdad49]

What do you think?

 

[wyosteve]

Looks to me like an immature snow goose, we call them 'blue' geese. They will mingle with Canadas occasionally.

 

[slick]

nice job on the Spec!

Edited: for idiocy

 

[Gunnersdad49]

It was a cool flock of birds. Got those two and a lesser with a grey brow.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Thank for the help. That is what I thought it was before I pulled the trigger. Taxidermist friend is calling it a snow x Canada hybrid. His body and wings look straight Canada, not mottled like a blue.

Who knows, I’m super stoked. He is my first weirdo, and that was also my first speck. We don’t have to limit out to call it an amazing day.

 

[slick]

Have any pics of it’s body? He might just be telling ya that so you get it mounted.

Not trying to burst your bubble. I shot a few back in ND with a grayish patch on their forehead

 

[Gunnersdad49]

That thought definitely crossed my mind. Christmas is coming, his kids might need a new bicycle!

These are the best I have, I bagged it and froze it so I can decide if I’ll stuff it or not.

 

[DerkPerk]

We see lots of “eagle head” geese in Manitoba. We came to the conclusion they are a mature blue goose. The immature blues are all “blue” where as an immature snow is more of a grey. I believe the snows and blues are a different bird. I may be wrong...


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[Pigdog]

Nice birds! Looks like a blue-morph snow goose to me.

 

[Gulfgoose]

Do you have better pics of the tail and belly? Part of the tail and coloration makes me think there may be a little speck in there.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Do you have better pics of the tail and belly? Part of the tail and coloration makes me think there may be a little speck in there.

I should have taken more pics before bagging it and freezing. Let me see what I can pull from our group pictures. First photo is the weirdo, with a lesser and the speck.

 

[Perrin713]

Here’s my blue I got a few years back.

 

[Pigdog]

Beautiful mounts!

 

[WCB]

Blue Geese and Snow Geese are the same species different colors. An immature Blue will be all slate grey when really young then molt over into the Blues everyone is used to seeing with the white head and dark blue back...mostly dark wings with feathers outlined in white. Blue Geese are not immature snows.

I've literally shot thousands of snows and have not seen one like that.

The goose you show could be a cross. the bill is a bit different than a Snow/Blue bill and usually by the time the head gets that white on a Blue Goose the wings will have changed and not be so monotone. Google snow goose canada goose cross. A bunch of birds that look very very similar to yours.

 

[GClyde28]

Looks like a mature blue goose to me. Just another color variation of a snow goose. The immature snow and blue geese are all greyish and as they mature get either the stark while color all over or the dark body with the clean white head as you have here.

 

[LongWayAround]

It's difficult to tell from the pictures but the wings do not appear to have the standard blue goose barring. Even juvenile blues show the alternating white, black, blue wing pattern.

WCB pretty much nailed it.

Funny looking bird, probably wouldn't mount it myself.

And... immature snows are definitely not the same as blues. If you do not know this, you should refrain from making such comments.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Well, whatever the heck it is, I'm getting it stuffed so I can argue about it long into the future.

 

[LJ Buck]

I am saying blue goose. Nice bird.

 

[R-K]

Here’s my blue I got a few years back. View attachment 137222

Where on earth did you get a Mandarin duck? Especially a drake like that.

 

[Perrin713]

Where on earth did you get a Mandarin duck? Especially a drake like that.

Friend had a friend pass away and I was able to pick it up from him.