# Blue Goose



## Preds21 (Feb 12, 2008)

I know that a blue goose is a snow in the blue phase,and i heard something bout that being a dominate gene, what exactly does that mean, sorry if this has already been a topic but i have not seen the forum.


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## bluegoose18 (Jan 9, 2008)

snow + blue =s Lots of Blues 
blue + blue =s Lots more Blues


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

Yeah there's a topic down a little bit with a lot of info about that. I think it was called "where are they now"

In short, there are dominant and recessive genes. In this case the birds get one gene from each parent. If a bird gets one blue phase gene, it will be a blue goose. For it to be a snow goose, it has to have two of the recessive snow gene. That's why the blue gene is considered dominant, because no matter what it's paired with, it will be expressed.

B = the blue gene
w = the snow gene

Possible combinations would be:
BB= blue goose
Bw= blue goose
ww= snow goose

That's why the blue gene is considered dominant, because it will override the snow gene. Hope this helps.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

diver_sniper said:


> Yeah there's a topic down a little bit with a lot of info about that. I think it was called "where are they now"
> 
> In short, there are dominant and recessive genes. In this case the birds get one gene from each parent. If a bird gets one blue phase gene, it will be a blue goose. For it to be a snow goose, it has to have two of the recessive snow gene. That's why the blue gene is considered dominant, because no matter what it's paired with, it will be expressed.
> 
> ...


Ive read studies that have stated the exact opposite. That the gene for white is dominant, but the breeding habits (and mate selection habits) are the reason for more blues.

What ive read is:

Females select the mate (much like in humans, lol). Now a blue female will ONLY select a blue mate. (Doesnt matter if shes homozygous or heterozygous).
A white heterozygous female (one white, one blue gene) will select either a white or blue male. And only a homozygous white female will select a white male.

So of four possible combos, only one will specificaly choose a white mate, while two will specificaly choose blue mates, and one will choose either. Hence, a slow reduction in white numbers.

This is just what ive read.


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## Preds21 (Feb 12, 2008)

thanks guys this is quite interesting to mee and i like to here what everybody knows and thinks about this


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

barebackjack said:


> diver_sniper said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah there's a topic down a little bit with a lot of info about that. I think it was called "where are they now"
> ...


I got most of my info from these sites, all of them say that the blue gene is dominant and... Well, no use in me saying what the article already says, I'll let you guys read up.

www.nodakoutdoors.com/snow-goose-genetics.php

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBi ... #coolfacts

There are a lot of other sites I've checked out too, I honestly don't remember where I found them though.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

diver_sniper said:


> Yeah there's a topic down a little bit with a lot of info about that. I think it was called "where are they now"
> 
> In short, there are dominant and recessive genes. In this case the birds get one gene from each parent. If a bird gets one blue phase gene, it will be a blue goose. For it to be a snow goose, it has to have two of the recessive snow gene. That's why the blue gene is considered dominant, because no matter what it's paired with, it will be expressed.
> 
> ...


I think that it is more likely to override the snow gene but its not a definate. Just like brown hair is dominant to brown hair in humans (i believe) a 1 brunnette/1 blonde couple is more likely to have a brown haired kid but its not certain, but 2 blondes could still have a brown haired kid at vice versa.

That was just my interpretation of the it but I really dont know.


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## ValleyCityHunter2008 (Jan 13, 2008)

When i first started to hunt snow geese i thought that blue geese were just young snow geese that would molt their feather and turn into white geese. The reason i thought this way was because there are a lot more white geese than there are blue geese. I soon learned that wasn't true. As i opened my trusy Nationlal Geographic bird book and learned that the young had there own states of molting. So i had to throw that out there because i never learned until i took insight into the subject. So i must state that blue geese are a only different colored than a white goose. Only by the difference of there feather colors. And are both considered snow geese.

Hears what my National Geographic book says about snow geese.

*Snow Geese *_Chen Caerulescens
L 26-33" (66-84cm) W 52-65" (132-165cm) Two color morphs. All adults distimguish from smaller Ross's Goose by larger, pinkish bill with black "grinning patch," longer neck, flatter head. Flies with slower wingbeat than Ross's;rusty stains often visible on face in summer. *White-Morph immature *is grayish with a dark bill. *Blue morph *was formerly considered a seperate species, Blue goose. Can eather have completley blue/brown belly or white belly. And i have to add in there pink feet. :beer:

Hope this helps._


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

No, I'm pretty positive the blue gene is dominant. It's actually semi dominant. Which means that in a heterozygous bird the recessive white gene has some space for expression of the recessive gene. That doesn't however mean that it's a half snow half blue goose. It just means that on the belly more or less white will show up depending on the alleles passed down by the parents.

Hair color in humans is actually a pretty complex thing because there is more than one gene that determines it. You're right though, brown is dominant to blond. It goes deeper than that though, I don't completely understand it. It used to be considered one of the simple Mendelian traits, but scientists have now figured out that there's a lot more to it.


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## bagsmasher (Mar 2, 2007)

You guys are making my head hurt.


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## poutpro (Mar 8, 2006)

He is right about hair color being controlled by more than one gene. However, if were were to look at hair color being controlled by a single gene (which is the case for snows/blues), a blonde dude and a blonde chick could NOT have a brown haired baby. If they are expressing a recessive trait, that means that they only have the recessive alleles, and therefore will NOT be able to pass anything but blond hair alleles to their kids.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

$hit yeah, haven't talked about this stuff since middle school!


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

poutpro said:


> He is right about hair color being controlled by more than one gene. However, if were were to look at hair color being controlled by a single gene (which is the case for snows/blues), a blonde dude and a blonde chick could NOT have a brown haired baby. If they are expressing a recessive trait, that means that they only have the recessive alleles, and therefore will NOT be able to pass anything but blond hair alleles to their kids.


Yup, right on. Was that directed as a correction to something I said? I thought I got all my stuff straight. It's easy accidentally goof things up when you're trying to get it from the brain to the keyboard though.


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