Swan goose

Swan goose
Anser cygnoides cygnoides in China
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anser
Species:
A. cygnoides
Binomial name
Anser cygnoides
Subspecies

A. c. cygnoid (Linnaeus, 1758)
A. c. domesticus[verification needed] – Chinese and African geese

Breeding (northern areas) in orange and wintering (southern areas) ranges in blue
Synonyms
  • Anser cygnoides (Linnaeus, 1758) [orth. error]
  • Anas cygnoides Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cycnopsis cygnoides (lapsus)
  • Cygnopsis cygnoides (Linnaeus, 1758)

The swan goose (Anser cygnoides) is a large goose with a natural breeding range in inland Mongolia, Northeast China, and the Russian Far East. It is migratory and winters mainly in central and eastern China. Vagrant birds are encountered in Japan and Korea (where it used to winter in numbers when it was more common), and more rarely in Kazakhstan, Laos, coastal Siberia, Taiwan, Thailand and Uzbekistan.[2][3]

While uncommon in the wild, this species has been domesticated. Introduced and feral populations of its domestic breeds occur in many places outside its natural range. The wild form is also kept in collections, and escapes are not unusual amongst feral flocks of other Anser and Branta geese.

  1. ^ BirdLife International. (2016). "Anser cygnoid". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22679869A228564177. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679869A228564177.en.
  2. ^ Carboneras, Carles (1992). del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi (eds.). Handbook of Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. p. 581. ISBN 978-84-87334-10-8.
  3. ^ Madge, Steve; Burn, Hilary (1987). Wildfowl: an identification guide to the ducks, geese and swans of the world. Helm Identification Guides. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 978-0-7470-2201-5.