# Cackling goose (*Branta hutchinsii*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/cackling-goose  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii) is a species in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes. Recorded adults weigh 2.81 kg to 3.89 kg and live up to 25.9 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.81 kg – 3.89 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 25.9 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 42 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Egg incubation | 28 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.15 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Branta
- species: *Branta hutchinsii* (Richardson, 1832)

Synonyms: *Branta hutchinsii alascensis*, *Branta hutchinsii amundseni*, *Branta hutchinsii andrewsi*, *Branta hutchinsii aurea*, *Branta hutchinsii backi*, *Branta hutchinsii baffinensis*, *Branta hutchinsii balcheni*, *Branta hutchinsii barnstoni*, *Branta hutchinsii belloti*, *Branta hutchinsii bertoni*, *Branta hutchinsii boasi*, *Branta hutchinsii bossenmairi*, *Branta hutchinsii butleri*, *Branta hutchinsii camselli*, *Branta hutchinsii clarkei*, *Branta hutchinsii collinsoni*, *Branta hutchinsii colvillensis*, *Branta hutchinsii conoveri*, *Branta hutchinsii cooki*, *Branta hutchinsii deasei*, *Branta hutchinsii dykei*, *Branta hutchinsii fossi*, *Branta hutchinsii frobisheri*, *Branta hutchinsii gavini*, *Branta hutchinsii hantzschi*, *Branta hutchinsii harperi*, *Branta hutchinsii hearnei*, *Branta hutchinsii hensoni*, *Branta hutchinsii herberti*, *Branta hutchinsii hoarei*, *Branta hutchinsii hollandi*, *Branta hutchinsii inuitorum*, *Branta hutchinsii jennessi*, *Branta hutchinsii kanei*, *Branta hutchinsii kingi*, *Branta hutchinsii laingi*, *Branta hutchinsii larseni*, *Branta hutchinsii lincolni*, *Branta hutchinsii lowi*, *Branta hutchinsii lyoni*, *Branta hutchinsii macfarlanei*, *Branta hutchinsii manningi*, *Branta hutchinsii mcclintocki*, *Branta hutchinsii mcclurei*, *Branta hutchinsii mcconnelli*, *Branta hutchinsii mershoni*, *Branta hutchinsii murphyi*, *Branta hutchinsii nanseni*, *Branta hutchinsii osgoodi*, *Branta hutchinsii parryi*, *Branta hutchinsii perryensis*, *Branta hutchinsii pikei*, *Branta hutchinsii plumbea*, *Branta hutchinsii polunini*, *Branta hutchinsii porsildi*, *Branta hutchinsii rasmusseni*, *Branta hutchinsii richardsoni*, *Branta hutchinsii setoni*, *Branta hutchinsii sewardi*, *Branta hutchinsii smithi*, *Branta hutchinsii stefanssoni*, *Branta hutchinsii toddi*, *Branta hutchinsii turneri*, *Branta hutchinsii tyrrelli*, *Branta hutchinsii tysoni*, *Branta hutchinsii vasquezi*, *Branta hutchinsii victoriensis*, *Branta hutchinsii washburni*, *Branta hutchinsii wilkinsi*, *Branta hutchinsii woodi*, *Branta hutchinsiii scoresbyi*

## Common questions

### How big is the cackling goose?

An adult cackling goose weighs 2.81 kg – 3.89 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Is the cackling goose endangered?

The cackling goose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

### How long does the cackling goose live?

The cackling goose has a recorded lifespan of 25.9 years.

### What kind of animal is the cackling goose?

The cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cackling-goose