Goose barnacle migrate, it was thought that barnacle geese, "Branta leucopsis", developed from this crustacean, since they were never seen to nest in temperate Europe, hence the English names "goose barnacle", "barnacle goose" and the scientific name "Lepas anserifera" (, "goose"). The confusion was prompted by the similarities in colour and shape. Because they were often found on driftwood, it was assumed that the barnacles were attached to branches before they fell in the water. The archdeacon of Brecon, Gerald of Wales, made this claim in his "Topographia Hiberniae". Since barnacle geese were thought to be "neither flesh, nor born of flesh",
Ivory barnacle but that species is smaller, only growing to a height of . Another similar species is the striped barnacle ("Balanus amphitrite") but that has vertical pink lines on the test. The native range of the ivory barnacle extends from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico but it has extended this range as a result of fouling the bottoms of ships and because its larvae are sometimes transported in ballast water. It was first seen in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1929 and is now common in all the main islands. It is found, sometimes in great numbers,