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",
Aleutian cackling goose Aleutian cackling goose The Aleutian cackling goose ("Branta hutchinsii leucopareia"), formerly known as the Aleutian Canada goose ("Branta canadensis leucopareia"), is small subspecies of cackling goose averaging 1700 to 2100 grams in weight. It was one of 122 species of animals, birds, and fish first documented for science by the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Corps of Discovery). The Bering cackling goose ("B. h. asiatica") is the name given to cackling geese on the Komandorski and Kuril Islands. This population was not markedly distinct from the Aleutian one and is usually included with them. By about 1920 or so (last seen