Blue Morph Ross's Goose

Figure 1. Ross's geese, Merced National Wildlife Refuge.


Figure 2. Another shot of the blue morph Ross's goose.


Figure 3. Still another view of this blue morph Ross's goose.

Snow geese are a common sight in California, Central Valley to be specific, in winter. With very similar appearance, Ross's geese also winter in the same place. Among all places, Merced National Wildlife Refuge is the best place to see Ross's geese. In my experience, late winter such as February and March is the best time.

Both snow and Ross's geese are white with black tips at the wings. However, some are with blue morph. Blue morph snow geese are more common and I've seen them in places such as Sacramento and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuges. Blue morph Ross's geese are rare and were confirmed rather late than the counterpart of snow geese.

During the President Day weekend, I made a trip to Merced National Wildlife Refuge. Luckily I saw a blue morph Ross's goose up close. This may not be my first time seeing a blue morph Ross's goose. It was farther and difficult to confirm if it's a blue morph snow goose or Ross's goose.

People thought blue morph Ross's geese a hybrid between snow and Ross's geese. From the pictures I took, it seems that way. The light black area at beak seems to have features from both snow geese and Ross's geese.

If you want to see and confirm this rare blue morph version of a Ross's goose on the field, I highly recommend to make trips to Merced National Wildlife Refuge.


Figure 4. Blue morph Ross's goose in flight.