Ross's Goose
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Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae

[Photo] Ross's Goose (Chen rossii) at Balboa Lake, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California. "I was lucky enough to see a handful of these wintering in the LA area. The only place they can commonly be found is wintering in California's Central Valley." Source: Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/anitagould/4778502/). Date: Taken on February 6, 2003. Author: Anita Gould (www.flickr.com/photos/anitagould/).

The Ross's Goose (Chen rossii or Anser rossii) is a North American species of goose.

The American Ornithologists' Union places this species and the other two "white" geese in the genus Chen rather than the more traditional "grey" goose genus Anser.

This goose breeds in northern Canada and winters much further south in the continent in the southern USA and occasionally northern Mexico.

The plumage of this species is white except for black wing tips. It is similar in appearance to a white-phase Snow Goose but approximately 40% smaller. Other differences from the Snow Goose are that Ross's bill is smaller in proportion to its body and lacks "black lips". The dark phase is extremely rare.

The Ross's Goose is a rare vagrant to Western Europe, but it is commonly kept in wildfowl collections and so the true frequency of wild birds is hard to ascertain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross's_Goose

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