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Goose Systematics
01.22.09
 The Cackling Goose was originally considered to be the same species or a subspecies of the Canada Goose, but in July 2004 the American Ornithologists' Union's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature split the two into two species, making Cackling Goose into a full species with the scientific name Branta Hutchinson.
The AOU has divided the many subspecies between the two animals. To the present species were assigned:
- Atlantic Canada Goose, Branta canadensis canadensis
- Interior Canada Goose, Branta canadensis interior
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Giant Canada Goose, Branta canadensis maxima
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Moffitt's Canada Goose, Branta canadensis moffitti
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Vancouver Canada Goose, Branta canadensis fulva
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Dusky Canada Goose, Branta canadensis occidentalis
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part of "Lesser complex", Branta canadensis parvipes
The distinctions between the two geese have led to confusion and debate among ornithologists. This has been aggravated by the overlap between the small types of Canada Goose and larger types of Cackling Goose. The old "Lesser Canada Goose" was believed to be a partly hybrid population, with the birds named taverneri considered a mixture of minima, occidentalis and parvipes. In addition, it has been determined that the Barnacle Goose is a derivative of the Cackling Goose lineage.
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