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
Canada goose which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey species of the genus "Anser". "Branta" is a Latinised form of Old Norse "Brandgás", "burnt (black) goose" and the specific epithet "canadensis" is a New Latin word meaning "from Canada". According to the "Oxford English Dictionary", the first citation for the 'Canada goose' dates back to 1772. The Canada goose is also colloquially referred to as the "Canadian goose". The cackling goose was originally considered to be the same species or a subspecies of the Canada goose, but in July 2004, the American Ornithologists' Union's Committee on Classification