NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Swan Goose
Anser cygnoides (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.
Swan Geese Anser cygnoides, Ozero Stepnoye, Ivolginskiy Rayon, Buryatia Republic, Russia
grihahasanov · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The swan goose (Anser cygnoides) is a large goose with a natural breeding range in inland Mongolia, Northeast China, and the Russian Far East. It is migratory and winters mainly in central and eastern China. Vagrant birds are encountered in Japan and Korea (where it used to winter in numbers when it was more common), and more rarely in Kazakhstan, Laos, coastal Siberia, Taiwan, Thailand and Uzbekistan.
While uncommon in the wild, this species has been extensively domesticated, when it is known as Chinese goose. Introduced and feral populations of its domestic breeds occur in many places outside its natural range. The wild form is also kept in collections, and escapes are not unusual amongst feral flocks of other Anser and Branta geese.
Wikipedia contributors, Swan goose; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:02:54.586546+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Anser cygnoides (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Swan 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 cygnoides (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 |
| Blue GooseAnser caerulescens (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 |
|---|---|
| Anas cygnoid Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Anser cygnoid (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.
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=175032 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:66Y8S. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.