Brant

Branta bernicla

For centuries people believed this goose hatched from barnacles, and its scientific name still says so: bernicla is Medieval Latin for 'barnacle.' In County Kerry, Ireland, it was even counted as fish, so it could be eaten on Fridays.

Branta is a Latin form of the Old Norse brandgás, 'burnt goose,' for its dark color, and 'brant' comes from the same word. Bernicla means 'barnacle.' The myth arose because nobody had ever seen these geese nest: they breed far away on the Arctic tundra.