At around 2 feet long, the visiting cackling goose is a smaller goose with black head, white chin strap, a long black neck, brown body feathers, and a white undertail. They are noisy birds with a loud honking call and a high-pitched, squeaking cackle. They are usually found in open ponds near the coast, especially in the winter and spring. Cackling geese are uncommon but regular visitors to Hawaiʻi and are closely related to the endemic nēnē.