Bird of the Month Series

Bird of the Month

Photo by Liz Ramsey Photography

January 2026

Cackling Goose

Our January bird of the month is the cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii). The cackling goose looks like a miniature version of the widespread Canada goose and was once considered a single species. The two are almost identical in plumage, but cackling geese have stubbier bills, steeper foreheads, shorter necks (strikingly apparent when flying), and usually more rounded heads. Like their larger relatives, cackling geese forage in marshes and fields in large flocks, often mixed with other goose species.

Cackling geese breed in remote northern Canada and Alaska, so the best times to look for them are during migration and in winter. During these seasons, they can be fairly common in the Pacific Northwest and California’s Central Valley. Among Canada geese, look carefully for a small, short-necked goose with a short bill, and listen for the distinctively high-pitched call—that's where the common name "cackling" comes from—noticeably different from Canada Geese.

Learn more about the cackling goose: allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cackling_Goose

View our previous birds of the month on Facebook or Instagram!

December 2025: Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
Learn more about the Dark-eyed Junco at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco

November 2025: Common Loon (Gavia immer)
Learn more about the Common Loon at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon

October 2025: American Coot (Fulica americana)
Learn more about the American Coot at allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_coot

September 2025: American Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
Learn more about the American White Pelican at allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_white_pelican

August 2025: Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
Learn more about the Spotted Sandpiper at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Sandpiper

July 2025: Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
Learn more about the Western Grebe at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Grebe

June 2025: Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Learn more about the Pied-billed Grebe at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pied-billed_Grebe

May 2025: Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Learn more about the Song Sparrow at allaboutbirds.org/guide/song_sparrow

April 2025: American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Bittern

March 2025: Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna).
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird

February 2025: Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk

January 2025: Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Goldeneye

December 2024: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle

November 2024: Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snow_Goose

October 2024: Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ferruginous_Hawk

September 2024: Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Towhee

August 2024: Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Tanager

July 2024: Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser

June 2024: Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cliff_Swallow

May 2024: Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-breasted_Chat

April 2024: Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey

March 2024: Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura).
Learn more at allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture