Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifrons
Part of this record is confirmed against an official source; other parts are not. See the notes below for exactly which.
Identification features (white bill-base patch, orange legs/bill, belly barring, tail-base white U) are directly confirmed against multiple independent birding sources (Birdweb, Outdoor Alabama, USGS) that corroborate each other. Regular-but-uncommon Virginia winter presence is directly confirmed via Cornell's own overview page; the specific Virginia Beach sighting record (North Landing Road/Kings Highway, described as the area's first onshore record since January 2021) is corroborated via regional birding-journal coverage (Beach Birding), not a government source, but a real, dated, location-specific record rather than a bare range claim. No Virginia-specific hunting-season record naming this species was found in this project's own seasons.ts data — stated honestly rather than assumed covered by an unrelated goose season.
Legal status: A legal migratory game bird under general federal migratory-bird-hunting rules. This project has not found a Virginia-specific season record naming greater white-fronted goose by name (unlike the light-goose season's explicit snow/blue/Ross's grouping) — verify current DWR regulations directly before hunting rather than assuming it's covered by any other goose season's own bag limit.
A stout brown goose with a white face patch and orange legs, nicknamed 'specklebelly' for the black barring on its belly — a regular, if uncommon, winter visitor to Virginia, with real Virginia Beach records.
Field marks
- Brown body with a white patch around the base of the bill (the source of the common name).
- Orange-to-pink bill and orange legs in adults and juveniles alike.
- Black bars/blotches on the belly in adults, giving rise to the 'specklebelly' nickname — juveniles lack this belly banding and the white bill-base feathering.
- White 'U'-shaped patch visible at the base of the tail in flight.
- Habitat
- Agricultural fields and wetlands in winter, often mixed into Canada or snow goose flocks.
Migration & seasonal context
Cornell's own overview describes it as a regular Atlantic Flyway winter visitor, arriving in fall — real Virginia Beach records exist, including one described as the most southerly East Coast record for its winter season and the first Virginia Beach onshore record since January 2021 (found near North Landing Road/Kings Highway).
This page is educational and does not certify that any specific bird may be legally taken at any specific time or place. Always confirm the current season, bag limit, and permit requirements at Licensing & Regulations →