NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Blue Goose
Anser caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Snow goose (Chen caerulescens) in the Harlem Meer of Central Park, New York City
Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The snow goose (Anser caerulescens) is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed in the genus Chen, but is now typically included in the "gray goose" genus Anser.
Snow geese breed north of the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and spend winters in warm parts of North America from southwestern British Columbia through parts of the United States to Mexico.
Wikipedia contributors, Snow goose; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:55:42.497551+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Anser caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Blue Goose
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Anser
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae Leach, 1820
- genusAnser Brisson, 1760
- speciesAnser caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Anser. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus Baillon, 1834 | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus (Latham, 1790) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ross's GooseAnser rossii Cassin, 1861 | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Emperor GooseAnser canagicus (Sevastianov, 1802) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser White-fronted GooseAnser erythropus (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bean GooseAnser fabalis (Latham, 1787) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Swan GooseAnser cygnoides (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons (Scopoli, 1769) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Graylag GooseAnser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Anser hyperboreus Pallas, 1769 Pallas, 1769 | synonym |
| Chen caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Middle America
North America
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175029 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:66XWS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.