Appearance
The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" distinguish this goose from all except the larger Canada goose and the similarly sized barnacle goose . There are up to 5 subspecies of cackling goose, of varying sizes and plumage details. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter and has a different voice. Some are hard to distinguish from the Canada goose, with which the cackling goose was long assumed to form one species, the cackling goose and the smaller Canada goose subspecies being called the lesser Canada goose. The smallest 1.4 kg Cackling geese are much smaller than any Canada goose, but the subspecies ''B. h. hutchinsii'', at up to 3 kg , grows to the same size as some Canada geese. The distinctness of the extinct population of the Komandorski and Kuril Islands ''B. h. asiatica'' is controversial. The barnacle goose differs in having a black breast and grey, rather than brownish, body plumage.
Status
By the early 20th century, over-hunting and loss of habitat in the late 19th and early 20th centuries had resulted in a serious decline in the numbers of this bird in its native range. With improved game laws and habitat recreation and preservation programs, their populations have recovered in most of their range, although some local populations may still be declining, especially of the subspecies ''minima'' and ''leucopareia''. Though the taxonomic distinctness of the Komandorski and Kuril Islands populations, which used to winter in Japan, is controversial, it is without doubt that they disappeared around 1929.Food
These birds feed mainly on plant material. When feeding in water, they submerge their heads and necks to reach aquatic plants, sometimes tipping forward like a dabbling duck. Flocks of these birds often feed on leftover cultivated grains in fields, especially during migration or in winter. They also eat some insects, molluscs and crustaceans.References:
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