Stretching one wing and one leg, this small Cackling Goose of the race B. h. minima was hanging out with two other Cackling Geese of the race B. h. leucopareia. In the background you can see part of a flock of Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons).
The Cackling Goose was originally lumped with the larger Canada Goose (B.canadensis). The two can be very hard to tell apart in the field. The Cackling Goose is smaller with a stubbier bill and squarer head. The race minima (sometimes called Ridgway's Cackling Goose) breeds in coastal western Alaska to the Mackenzie delta and winters to southern California. The name Ridgway's Cackling Goose was apparently coined in 2008 by Mlodinow et al:
Mlodinow, S.G., P.F. Springer, B. Deuel, L.S. Semo, T. Leukering, T. Doug Schonewald, W. Tweit, and J.H. Barry. 2008. Distribution and identification of Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) subspecies. North Amer. Birds 62: 344-360.
Digiscoped with Panasonic DMC-LX5 | Nikon FieldScope III | 30XWA | hand-held (no adapter).