Anserinae

For other waterbirds, mainly related to the shelducks, that have "goose" as part of their name, see Anatidae and Goose.

Anserinae Temporal range: Middle Miocene to present
Domestic European geese Anser anser domesticus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae Vigors, 1825
Genera
See text
Synonyms
Cygninae

The Anserinae are a subfamily in the waterfowl family Anatidae. It includes the swans and the true geese. Under alternative systematical concepts (see e.g., Terres & NAS, 1991), it is split into two subfamilies, the Anserinae contain the geese and the ducks, while the Cygninae contain the swans.

Systematics

Swans (Tribe Cygnini) ^[1]

• Genus Cygnus – true swans: The black-and-yellow-billed swans are sometimes separated in the genus Olor.
• Genus † Afrocygnus (Miocene of North Africa)
• Genus † Annakacygna – short-winged swans (Miocene of Japan)
• Genus † Megalodytes (Miocene of California)

True geese (Tribe Anserini)

• Genus Anser – grey and white geese
• Genus Branta – black geese (including † B. rhuax , formerly placed in Geochen)

Unresolved

• Genus Coscoroba – coscoroba swan

These two genera are distinct from other geese and often elevated to a subfamily of their own (Cereopsinae), or alternatively into the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae:

Tribe Cereopseini

• Genus Cereopsis – Cape Barren goose
• Genus † Cnemiornis – New Zealand geese (prehistoric)

Some enigmatic subfossils of very large goose-like birds from the Hawaiian Islands do not appear to be moa-nalos (goose-sized dabbling ducks) or B. rhuax. They cannot be assigned to any genus living today, though both may be fairly close to Branta:

• Very large Hawaiʻian goose, ?Branta sp. ^[2]
• Giant Oʻahu goose, Anatidae sp. et gen. indet. ^[2]

References

1. "Fossilworks: Cygninae". Paleobiology Database . Retrieved 2022-04-29.
2. Olson, S.L.; James, H.F. (1991). "Descriptions of thirty two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part I. Non-Passeriformes". AOU Ornithological Monographs. 45: 1–88.

• Terres, John K. & National Audubon Society (1991): The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Wings Books, New York. ISBN   0-517-03288-0

Further reading

• Gonzalez, J.; Düttmann, H.; Wink, M. (2009). "Phylogenetic relationships based on two mitochondrial genes and hybridization patterns in Anatidae". Journal of Zoology. 279 (3): 310–318. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00622.x.