Barnacle goose Barnacle goose The barnacle goose ("Branta leucopsis") belongs to the genus "Branta" of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey "Anser" species. Despite its superficial similarity to the brant goose, genetic analysis has shown it is an eastern derivative of the cackling goose lineage. The barnacle goose was first classified taxonomically by Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1803. "Branta" is a Latinised form of Old Norse "Brandgás", "burnt (black) goose" and the specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek "leukos" "white", and "opsis" "faced". The barnacle goose and the similar brant goose were previously
Apus (genus) Linnaeus in 1758. The name "Apus" is Latin for a swift, thought by the ancients to be a type of swallow with no feet (from Ancient Greek α, "a", "without", and πούς, "pous", "foot"). Before the 1950s, there was some controversy over which group of organism should have the genus name "Apus". In 1801 Bosc gave the small crustacean organisms known today as "Triops" the genus name "Apus", and later authors continued to use this term. Keilhack suggested (in 1909) that this was incorrect since there was already an avian genus named "Apus" by Scopoli in 1777 . It was