Bird Guide

Emperor Goose vs Lesser White-fronted Goose

Emperor Goose (Anser canagicus)

Emperor Goose

Anser canagicus

Huge2.1 kgCoastal

The emperor goose has a stout blue-gray body, with spots of black and white, which cause it to have a "scaled appearance". Its head and the back of its neck are white and tinged with amber-yellow; unlike the snow goose, the white does not extend to the front of the neck. The goose is also characterized by a black chin and throat, a white tail, a pink bill, which is tipped with white, and yellow-orange legs and feet. The underside of the emperor goose's wings is gray, unlike the snow goose, which has black and white on the underside of its wings. Voice: Its vocalizations, according to Edward William Nelson, sound like "kla-ha, kla-ha, kla-ha", and can be differentiated from those of other geese by having a more "nasal" sound. It vocalizes less often than other geese, such as the white-fronted goose.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ben Meredyk · CC BY 4.0
Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus)

Lesser White-fronted Goose

Anser erythropus

Huge1.8 kgGrassland

The two white-fronted goose species differ little other than in size (the lesser, at 53–66 cm (21–26 in) length and with a 120–135 cm (47–53 in) wingspan, is not much bigger than a mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)), but both may be readily distinguished from the greylag goose by their bright orange legs and their mouse-coloured upper wing-coverts. The greylag goose has a flesh-coloured bill and legs and the upper wing-coverts are bluish-grey. Both white-fronted goose species have a very conspicuous white face and broad black bars which cross the belly.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Hans Norelius from Älvsjö, Sweden · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Emperor Goose and Lesser White-fronted Goose.