Birding listservers are buzzing since it became known that Cackling Goose has been split from Canada Goose according to the 45th Supplement to the AOU Checklist published in the July 2004 issue of The Auk.
Despite similar plumage, Cackling Goose is noticeably smaller that a Canada Goose--not much larger than a Mallard. It now consists of several subspecies, including "Richardson's" Cackling Goose and "Aleutian" Cackling Goose, among others.
Because I have seen what was then the Richardson's form of Canada Goose in Colorado and Illinois, I can now add CACKLING GOOSE to my life list, ABA area list, Colorado state list, and Illinois state list.
Posted by Birdingdave at July 24, 2004 01:50 AM