Swan Goose
Anser cygnoides
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderAnseriformes (Waterfowl)
- FamilyAnatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)
- GenusAnser (Grey Geese)
- SpeciesAnser cygnoides (Swan Goose)
About the Swan Goose
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.
While uncommon in the wild, this species has been extensively domesticated, when it is known as Chinese goose. 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.
The swan goose was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas cygnoid. The original spelling of "cygnoid." (with a fullstop, suggesting an abbreviation) is widely treated as an orthographic error to be corrected to "cygnoides", but some authors regard cygnoid (without the fullstop) to be the correct original spelling which should be used, citing... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Snow Goose
Anser caerulescens
Ross's Goose
Anser rossii
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifrons
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeata
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Cinnamon Teal
Spatula cyanoptera
Common Teal
Anas crecca
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
Gadwall
Mareca strepera
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Swan Goose in Saguaro National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Swan Goose sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 1,649 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Swan Goose in Saguaro National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Swan Goose in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.