Swan goose | |
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Anser cygnoides cygnoides in China | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Subclass: | Neornithes |
Infraclass: | Neognathae |
Superorder: | Galloanseres |
Order: | Anseriformes |
Family: | Anatidae |
Subfamily: | Anserinae |
Tribe: | Anserini |
Genus: | Anser |
Species: | A. cygnoides |
Binomial name | |
Anser cygnoides (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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Subspecies | |
A. c. cygnoides (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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Breeding (northern areas) in orange and wintering (southern areas) ranges in blue | |
Synonyms | |
Anas cygnoid Linnaeus, 1758 |
A. c. cygnoides (Linnaeus, 1758)
A. c. domesticus – Chinese and African geese
Anas cygnoid Linnaeus, 1758
Anas cygnoides Linnaeus, 1758 (emendation)
Cycnopsis cygnoides (lapsus)
Cygnopsis cygnoides (Linnaeus, 1758)
The swan goose (Anser cygnoides) is a rare large goose with a natural breeding range in inland Mongolia, northernmost China, and southeastern Russia. 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 domesticated. 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.