HI:
FYI
Hi All,

As Richard Millington and Alvaro Jaramillo were quick to point out to me,
the name 'Lesser Canada Goose' is actually not a good collective name for
the small forms (aka Cackling geese) because it already used for _Branta
canadensis parvipes_, which of course is one of the large forms!! Cap in
hand, I take back what I said about the BOURC's good choice of name........

By the way, Mark Stackhouse provides a nice discussion of the taxonomy
including the idea of splitting through cluster into three rather than two
groups.

http://www.utahbirds.org/RecCom/NewGoose.htm

(1) Canada Goose: This includes the subspecies B. c. canadensis (Atlantic),
B. c. interior (Interior), B. c. maxima (Giant), B. c. moffitti (Moffit's or
Great Basin or Western), B. c. fulva (Vancouver) and B. c. occidentalis
(Dusky).

(2) Lesser Canada Goose: This includes the subspecies B. c. parvipes and B.
c. taverneri.

(3) Tundra Goose: This includes the subspecies B. c. hutchinsii
(Richarson's), B. c. asiatica (Bering - probably extinct), B. c. leucopareia
(Aleutian), and B. c. minima (Cackling).

This deals with the uncertainties of where parvipes and taverneri fall and
incidentally, helps resolve the naming issues. A counter to Tundra Goose
might be that some B. c. interior and B. c. canadensis nest on tundra. Can
anyone comment further on this?

Cheers, Angus Wilson
New York City

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Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
A.K.A.:Birdbooker
Rallidae all the way!