NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Emperor Goose
Anser canagicus (Sevastianov, 1802)
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.
An emperor goose swims on a tundra pond. Kigigak Island, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Lisa Hupp/USFWS
Alaska Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service from Anchorage, United States · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The emperor goose (Anser canagicus), also known as the beach goose or the painted goose, is a waterfowl species in the family Anatidae, which contains the ducks, geese, and swans. In summer, the emperor goose is found in remote coastal areas near the Bering Sea in arctic and sub-arctic Alaska and the Russian Far East, where it breeds in monogamous pairs. It migrates south to winter in ice-free mudflats and coasts in Alaska, mostly the Aleutian Islands, and Canada's British Columbia, rarely reaching the contiguous United States. Listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the species' population is declining due to threats such as pollution, hunting, and climate change.
Wikipedia contributors, Emperor goose; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:21:43.865191+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Anser canagicus (Sevastianov, 1802)
- Name authority
- (Sevastianov, 1802)
- Common name
- Emperor 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 canagicus (Sevastianov, 1802)
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 |
| Lesser White-fronted GooseAnser erythropus (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bean GooseAnser fabalis (Latham, 1787) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue GooseAnser caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Philacte canagica (Sevastianov, 1802) (Sevastianov, 1802) | synonym |
| Anas canagica Sevastianov, 1802 Sevastianov, 1802 | synonym |
| Chen canagica (Sevastianov, 1802) (Sevastianov, 1802) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
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=175031 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:66XX4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.