Cackling Goose

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Cackling Goose in the UK

The Cackling Goose is a rare vagrant from Arctic North America. It was treated as a small form of Canada Goose until the two were split, and it was added to Category A of the British List in March 2016. The first accepted record is a bird at Plex Moss, Lancashire, in November 1976. There were around 75 records by the end of 2023, and a handful now arrive most winters. Most are of the pale-breasted race known as Richardson's Cackling Goose. It is also kept in collections, so birds of captive origin muddy the picture.

Where and when to see a Cackling Goose

Wild birds travel with other Arctic geese. Most winter among Barnacle Geese in north-west Scotland, including the Hebrides. Others come in with Pink-footed Geese in Lancashire and Norfolk: one at Holkham in February 1999 was the first accepted Richardson's. Look from October to March and scan large flocks for a short-necked, dark-necked bird with a white cheek. Dawn and dusk flights to and from roosts give no chance, so work feeding flocks in fields. One with feral Canada Geese on a lake in summer is an escape.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Wet grassland (vagrant).
Diet: Grass.
Field note: Tiny Canada lookalike.

How to identify a Cackling Goose

A miniature Canada Goose, with the same black neck, white chinstrap and brown body. Size is the first clue: the commonest race is little bigger than a Barnacle Goose and looks tiny beside Canada Geese. Then check structure. The bill is short and stubby, the forehead steep and the head squarish, where a Canada has a long sloping bill and head. The neck is short and thick. Richardson's has a pale, silvery-buff breast and sometimes a thin white collar at the base of the black neck. Small Canada Geese exist, so bill shape matters more than size.

Call and song

Higher-pitched than a Canada Goose: short, squeaky yelps and cackles in place of the deep two-note honk. Useful if a bird calls in flight with other geese, but most are found by eye. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Canada Goose: Canada Goose is much larger with a long neck and a long, sloping bill; it is the familiar feral resident of park lakes.
• Barnacle Goose: Barnacle has a mostly white face, a black breast and a grey, barred back, not a brown body with a white chinstrap.

Related guide UK winter wildfowl.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Cackling Goose is an Epic tier bird, worth +20 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Red-breasted GooseEpic · Wet grassland (rare visitor)
• Barnacle GooseUncommon · Coastal grassland (winter)
• Black BrantRare · Mudflats (rare race)
• Brent GooseUncommon · Coastal mudflats
• Canada GooseCommon · Lakes
• Light-bellied Brent GooseUncommon · Mudflats (winter)

Cackling Goose: quick answers

Has a Cackling Goose ever been seen in the UK?

Yes. The first accepted bird was in Lancashire in 1976, and there were about 75 records by 2023. It only joined the British List in 2016, because for years the difficulty was proving that birds were wild and not escapes.

What is the difference between a Cackling Goose and a Canada Goose?

They look alike but are separate species. Cackling breeds on Arctic tundra and is small, short-necked and stubby-billed. Canada breeds further south, is large and long-necked, and is the one introduced to Britain. A Cackling among wild Barnacles or Pink-feet in winter has the best claim to be a real vagrant.

Where can I see a Cackling Goose in the UK?

Your best chance is among the big Barnacle Goose flocks of western Scotland in winter, where one or two are picked out in most years. Pink-footed Goose flocks in Norfolk and Lancashire are the other place to check. Expect a long search through thousands of birds.

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