Arizona occasionally hosts rare geese far outside their typical ranges, most notably the Brant (Branta bernicla) and the Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii). The Brant, a small, dark sea goose usually found along coastal estuaries in winter, is an exceptional visitor to inland Arizona, with scattered records from large lakes and reservoirs, often during migration or after storms. The Cackling Goose, once considered a small race of the Canada Goose, is distinguished by its petite size, short neck, and proportionally stubbier bill; it breeds in Arctic tundra and appears sporadically in Arizona, usually among flocks of Canada Geese in wintering areas such as golf course ponds, reservoirs, and agricultural fields. Both species are considered rare but regular enough to be documented by keen observers, typically during the cooler months when northern migrants occasionally wander far from their usual wintering grounds.
