Cackling Goose

Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) is a small goose with a black neck, white cheek patch and brown body, resembling a compact Canada Goose. The combination of body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provides the most useful field characters. Age, sex and season can alter its appearance, so identification should use several features rather than colour alone. This supports comparison with similar species in the field (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in Arctic and subarctic North America and migrates to grassland, farmland, lakes and coastal marshes. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds more likely to gather where food is concentrated. The Korean vertebrate catalogue used for this guide records the species in South Korea (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Korea occurrence records).