Barnacle goose were of the same nature as other birds. The question of the nature of barnacle geese also came up as a matter of Jewish dietary law in the Halakha, and Rabbeinu Tam (1100–71) determined that they were kosher (even if born of trees) and should be slaughtered following the normal prescriptions for birds. The mythical barnacle tree, believed in the Middle Ages to have barnacles that opened to reveal geese, may have a similar origin to the other legends already mentioned. Barnacle goose The barnacle goose ("Branta leucopsis") belongs to the genus "Branta" of black geese, which contains species with
Goose the ground is a "gaggle"; when in flight, they are called a "skein", a "team", or a "wedge"; when flying close together, they are called a "plump". The three living genera of true geese are: "Anser", grey geese, including the greylag goose, and domestic geese; "Chen", white geese (often included in "Anser"); and "Branta", black geese, such as the Canada goose. Two genera of geese are only tentatively placed in the Anserinae; they may belong to the shelducks or form a subfamily on their own: "Cereopsis", the Cape Barren goose, and "Cnemiornis", the prehistoric New Zealand goose. Either these or,