{"id":16281,"date":"2015-07-14T14:09:16","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T05:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=16281"},"modified":"2015-07-22T00:36:19","modified_gmt":"2015-07-21T15:36:19","slug":"birds-korea-checklist-recommendations-part-2-white-cheeked-geese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=16281","title":{"rendered":"Birds Korea Checklist Recommendations (Part 2), “White-Cheeked Geese””"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Nial Moores, Birds Korea, July 14th<\/sup> 2015<\/p>\n

As described in the previous post<\/a> (which looked at the 1996 record of Wilson\u2019s Phalarope<\/strong> Phalaropus tricolor<\/em>), there are at least 50 revisions to consider making to the 2014 Birds Korea Checklist<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 All such changes need to be considered carefully if the quality of the list is to be maintained and improved. Many of the changes are straightforward; a few require a lot more discussion and expert input (please!), including the status in Korea of the confusingly-named taxa of \u201cWhite-cheeked Goose\u201d (Cackling Goose<\/strong> Branta hutchinsii<\/em> and Canada Goose<\/strong> Branta canadensis<\/em>). The status of the various taxa needs to be reassessed at this time most especially because the nation\u2019s best field-guide (Park 2014) includes one record of taverneri<\/em> and a possible record of nominate hutchinsii<\/em> Cackling Goose<\/strong>, in addition to records of minima<\/em> and leucopareia <\/em>Cackling Geese<\/strong>. Should our Checklist also list these additional taxa?<\/p>\n

Taverneri <\/em>is the largest subspecies of Cackling Goose<\/strong>. It overlaps in size and in several features with parvipes<\/em>, the smallest subspecies of Canada Goose<\/strong>. Perhaps the most important ID feature for separating them is the long narrow bill of parvipes<\/em> (Mlodinow et al<\/em>. 2008).<\/p>\n

Of potential relevance to any discussion of taverneri<\/em> in Korea, both it and parvipes<\/em> are mapped as wintering southward and of breeding as far north as the North Slope of Alaska (Mlodinow et al<\/em>. 2008), the origin of several species that are regular here (ranging in size from Dunlin<\/strong> to Yellow-billed Loon<\/strong>). This suggests that vagrancy of either or both of these long-range migratory taxa seems plausible. Also, Brazil (2009) includes both taverneri<\/em> and parvipes<\/em> as possibly recorded in Japan (although he uses different English names for the two species). He also mentions feral breeding of a large un-named subspecies of Canada Goose <\/strong>in Beijing and Japan too. Does anybody know which subspecies this might refer to? Unfortunately, OSJ (2012) does not include taverneri<\/em>, parvipes<\/em> or any other white-cheeked goose taxa as recorded in Japan beyond minima<\/em> and leucopareia<\/em>. And neither Brazil (1991) nor Eguchi and Amano (2004), who list invasive species in Japan, include Canada Goose<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We presently include two taxa of Cackling Goose<\/strong> in Category One: minima<\/em> and leucopareia<\/em>. Both are assessed as\u00a0 WV1 (= scarcely recorded winter visitors, with more than 10 records each in total, but fewer than 10 records each year). The listing of minima<\/em> and leucopareia<\/em> seems\u00a0 uncontroversial, even though OSK (2009) chose not to list minima<\/em>. To support our assessment our gallery<\/a> contains recognisable images of both taxa, and Park (2014) includes much better images of both, showing e.g. the tiny bill, extremely dark breast and strongly patterned wing-coverts (with a paler grey base, dark sub-terminal line and pale fringe) of minima;<\/em> and the larger size, larger bill, extensive white fore-collar and plainer-looking wing coverts expected of leucopareia<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"minima_Jan09_NM<\/a>Minima<\/em> Cackling Goose<\/strong> Branta hutchinsii<\/em> with mixed flock of\u00a0 Tundra Bean Goose<\/strong> Anser serrirostris<\/i> and Greater White-fronted Goose<\/strong> Anser albifrons<\/em>, January 2009, Paju \u00a9 Nial Moores. Even in an image as poor as this, minima<\/em> can be confidently identified on the basis of its tiny size, blocky head, stubby bill, lack of white fore-collar, dark breast and strongly contrasting pattern on the wing coverts.<\/p>\n

We also list Canada Goose<\/strong> in Category Six, the \u201cpending\u201d category, to capture the record of a larger-looking white-cheeked goose photographed by Dr. Kim Shin-Hwan and others at Seosan in December 2007.\u00a0\u00a0 Based on the half-dozen or so images we saw of it, we suspected that it might<\/em> be a parvipes <\/em>Canada Goose<\/strong> (please see the entry in the 2007 Year Review<\/a>)<\/em>.\u00a0 However, this bird was mentioned in footnotes in OSK (2009) as a suspected taverneri<\/em> Cackling<\/strong>.\u00a0 It was also included as a taverneri<\/em> by Park (2014), (perhaps after seeing additional images?), requiring the writing of this post. Based on size alone, this bird indeed “should be” either a taverneri <\/em>or a parvipes, <\/em>and taverneri<\/em>, being smaller than parvipes,<\/em> might well be the safer bet.<\/p>\n

But without field experience of either and without detailed input from experienced observers, a bet really is not enough!
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\"KSH_dec_2007_2[1]\"<\/a>Unknown white-cheeked goose with leucopareia<\/em> Cackling Goose<\/strong>, December 2007, Seosan \u00a9 Kim Shin-Hwan<\/p>\n

In this image and the ones below, compared to the leucopareia<\/em> Cackling Goose<\/strong>:<\/p>\n