Cygnet or Gosling?

PeterD · #1 (**permalink**) 22-08-2009, 03:32 PM

Posted this in the wrong forum

.

Now for a real puzzle - it may however be just me but here goes.
I saw this family of swans on the river Piddle and my attention was drawn to one of the Cygnets.

The cygnet in front is wildly different from the normal. The adult is the female. the male was busy chasing away a white goose that ventured too close.
Here is a closer view of the query cygnet.

The colouring differences are obvious. The other thing that was strange was that this bird was very noisy, giving off sounds similar to geese. It caused me to query whether it was a cygnet or gosling which had been adopted by the swans. Looking at the facial markings though - it was a swan

Can anyone help with this please?

valleyforge · #2 (**permalink**) 22-08-2009, 04:41 PM

Hi Peter,

Certainly looks like a gosling to me too.

It's not too far fetched to assume that it has been 'adopted' into the swan family group.

Nice photos.

PeterD · #3 (**permalink**) 22-08-2009, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valleyforge

Hi Peter,

Certainly looks like a gosling to me too.

It's not too far fetched to assume that it has been 'adopted' into the swan family group.

Nice photos.

Thank you. I am 99% sure it is a gosling too. If you saw the way the adult male swan was attacking the adult goose you would have been amazed. The swan landed on top of the goose which swam under the water to get away - another first for me! I would love to know the story behind all of this. Was the gosling and goose together just before my encounter and had the male swan claimed the gosling as its own? I just wish I had got there sooner.

Adam Cheeseman · #4 (**permalink**) 22-08-2009, 07:27 PM

Looks like an adult Heinz 57 domestic Greylag Goose to me.

Cheers,

Adam

PeterD · #5 (**permalink**) 22-08-2009, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam Cheeseman

Looks like an adult Heinz 57 domestic Greylag Goose to me.

Cheers,

Adam

Thanks Adam. If nothing else it seems to be Heinz 57

.

2dogs2000 · #6 (**permalink**) 22-08-2009, 09:49 PM

It looks like a greylag x with a swan to me.

Picidae · #7 (**permalink**) 22-08-2009, 11:16 PM

Second generation Greylag x Chinese (x domestic white?) would be my guess.

loripo · #8 (**permalink**) 23-08-2009, 08:15 AM

So would it be a half sibling of the other cygnets, or from some other females brood that this one adopted.

PMG · #9 (**permalink**) 23-08-2009, 08:39 AM

Thats an awful long neck for a goose ......... if seeing is believing I'd think it was a swan goose cross too

I didn't think they could do that - but looking at this I still think its head and neck is more swan than goose .....

Pauline

PeterD · #10 (**permalink**) 23-08-2009, 09:00 AM

Thanks all for your comments so far. One thing though, you have made me happy to see that I am not the only one that thinks this is a strange sight. You are right Pauline about the neck and head. They are definately swan like even the tip of the bill is correctly marked. Imagine the yellow face being replaced by a black face and you would say these features are 100% swan.