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barnacle goose
noun
: a European goose (Branta leucopsis) that has a whitish face and black breast and breeds in the Arctic
Examples of barnacle goose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At least a single barnacle goose spent most of the week in the fields off School Street in Acton, and a possible second barnacle goose may have been in Concord, but the timing of the two birds was not confirmed.
—Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Mar. 2023
Middlesex County: Two redheads at Fresh Pond in Cambridge, two northern shovelers, a barnacle goose, and a great cormorant at Horn Pond in Woburn, a Tundra Swan at the Heard Farm Conservation Area in Wayland, and 6 Gadwalls in the marsh beside Pelham Island Road in Wayland.
—Camilo Fonseca, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Feb. 2023
On this evening, the vixen arrived with a barnacle goose.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 14 Oct. 2020
Life is harsh for barnacle geese, which must contend with Arctic temperatures and protect their young from predators like foxes by nesting on high ledges and cliffs.
—National Geographic, 28 Mar. 2019
Not uncommonly, a whole barnacle goose brood may be lost.
—National Geographic, 28 Mar. 2019
Then Mildred, a 24-year-old barnacle goose, wobbled painfully across the floor as veterinarians analyzed her gait.
—Karen Weintraub, New York Times, 29 June 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1668, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near barnacle goose
Cite this Entry
“Barnacle goose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barnacle%20goose. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on barnacle goose
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about barnacle goose
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