Wednesday 29 June 2016

Strange-looking white/brown goose

During a walk in the park last week I came across this curious goose.  It looks as though it is the result of a liaison between a Canada or Greylag goose and a white goose.  As can be seen, it has an orange beak and is mostly white, but with mainly brown head and some brown feathers on it's back, sides and tail.

In the two photographs below, I think it is looking a bit sorry for itself.



However, it is not lonely as it is hanging around with a large group of other geese, formed from a mixture of Canada and Greylag geese.  In these photographs, there are Canada geese in the background.



After some research on the internet, I have been told that this is probably a Leucistic goose.  This is a genetic condition that affects the colour pigmentation of the feathers, turning them white.  The eyes are not affected.  If they were, it would be an albino goose.

1 comment:

  1. The Internet brought me here because I saw one today! After sifting through pages of Google Images, I saw yours - thank you. I might not have slept tonight.

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