# It's big, it's white, and it flies

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-big-its-white-and-it-flies/416084>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 18, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-big-its-white-and-it-flies/416084 "2007-08-18T21:10:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-big-its-white-and-it-flies/416084/1 "2007-08-18T21:10:29Z")

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A few days ago I saw what I thought was a flock of snow geese flying over Albuquerque. The only problem is that snow geese don’t migrate this early: they shouldn’t be in this area for another 6 weeks.

I’m trying to figure out what else they could be. They were in a V formation the way geese usually are but I don’t think they were domestic geese (can those things even fly at all?)

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**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-big-its-white-and-it-flies/416084/2 "2007-08-18T21:23:33Z")

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Pelicans? Cranes?

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**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-big-its-white-and-it-flies/416084/3 "2007-08-18T21:43:53Z")

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egret

> **[Egret](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egret)**
>
> Egretta
> Ardea
> Bubulcus
> Mesophoyx
> Nycticorax
> Nyctanassa
> Gorsachius
> Butorides
> Agamia
> Pilherodius
> Ardeola
> Syrigma
> Egrets (/ˈiːɡrəts/ EE-grəts) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build.
> Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea, which also contain other species named as herons rather than egret...

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-big-its-white-and-it-flies/416084/4 "2007-08-18T23:58:35Z")

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I’d say [White Pelicans](http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i1250id.html) would be a possibility.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-big-its-white-and-it-flies/416084/5 "2007-08-19T00:20:21Z")

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Sandhill cranes?

[http://www.backyardbirdcam.com/gallery/sandhill-crane.htm](http://www.backyardbirdcam.com/gallery/sandhill-crane.htm)