In 2004 the American Ornithologist’s Union officially split North American White-cheeked Geese into two species: Canada Goose, Branta canadensis and Cackling Goose, B. hutchinsii (Banks et al., 2004). The largest recognized subspecies of Canada Goose is the Giant Canada Goose, B. c. maxima. Here we present some ways to separate typical B. c. maxima and B. c. moffitti (Mlodinow et al., 2006; Mowbray et al., 2002).

Giant canada goose
Giant Canada goose, photo by Pierre Deviche.