On occasion various people love to point out when someone asks about mounting a Canadian Goose, that they assume that the goose was shot in Canada, because they are "officially" called Canada Goose. Often then questioner is taken aback by the person attacking them for using the term Canadian Goose by mistake. The same thing happens with deer horns, since by strict definition they are not horns but antlers.
A couple months ago on Avecol, there was a thread discussing exactly WHY it is that Canadian Goose is incorrect, when American Robin is correct. Hudsonian Godwit is a good name, but Califoria Quail is not a Californian Quail unless it is shot in California. The Mexican Jay doesn't have to be from Mexico, and is a good name, as is European Starling, Aleutian Tern, Eurasian Bullfinch, Bohemian Waxwing, etc. These names all use an adjective as first part of the name. But Tennessee Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, California Gull, Canada Warbler and Canada Goose use the noun. Is a general rule used here? The adjective "Canadian" is easy to speak and is a widely used term, so why not use it?
There was a number of interesting responses about exactly why certain names are valid and others aren't. I never got a real handle on the "WHY" of the various names.
One responce from a Curator of Birds from Canada suggested that the name Canada Goose was given BEFORE Canada became a country, which occurred in 1867. How could you have a Canadian Goose Before there was a Canada. Seems plausible to me?
Birds in America, as many of you know have an official common name. The A.O.U meets irregularly and comes out with a new Bible on what species are recognized as valid, and what the official name is. The group making up the official names often change them when they lump or split species, accompanying the change in Scientific name. The Baltimore Oriole name dissappeared for a while when it was lumped with Bullocks Oriole to become the "Northern Oriole", luckilly it came back. Mammals don't have the unique common name since even something as common as a groundhog is equally known as a woodchuck.
Perhaps the first use of Canada Goose was put forth by William Swainson who was an extraoidinary scientist and taxidermist in his book 'Birds of British North America' in 1831. Swainson wrote a few smaller texts on taxidermy but contributed his most in the 1840 book titled Taxidermy, Bibliography and Biography in 1840, a very nice book in the Lardner Series.
Elliot Coues, who also wrote a text on scientific preparation and taxidermy in 1874 wrote the first comprehesive check list of North American bird names in the same volume, setting the stage for the AOU before it was founded.
In essence, we can blame ourselves for the name Canada Goose, but my personal lexicon accepts Canadian Goose, and Deer Horns ... But then, some people say there's just something wrong with that Mrs. Rogers' Son Stephen.... Can't wait till September so I can go hunt some Pennsylvanian Canadian Geese.
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Who's to argue? Are you a full fledged "ologist" or just an "ist"? Are they one and the same because they are both from "ist's" as in a confluent equivalence? Or is it more of a belligerent outcasts proliferation of recalcitrant and opinionated perceptions?!
Really Mr. Taxidermologist, if you have a valid queue in which you could draw, pray do tell. Thus it is obvious to any yayhoo that it should pose as a "Canada Goose" rather than a "Canadian" as the bird itself is a "flighty" creature and does not pose subservient to reside in only Canada herself. Thricely, we in Minnesoooota, do not call the ill fated goose of which is incredibly endowed with tallowed subcutaneous layers, a "Minnesotan Canadian Goose", we just hillbilly-ish as it may seem, call them "Honkers". Tis' a safe bet for the politically correct.
"Mammals don't have the unique common name", Oh goodness, I beg to differ! Around here, a whitetail, racoon, coyote, opposum, black bear, all have the common name of "that @%$#&^%*(#@ so and so! When the vehicle you are driving at the time poses to NOT manuever around the animal in question, and shows an inclination to make "road salve" out of latter mentioned mammal species......I'm sorry, but it's common around here to call those particular animals either, " Oh Schitt" or " Aw Dammmitt". Unique common name? YESSSSS! I think so!
Deer "horns"?.....Don't get me remotely started! LOL
Consider the Whitetail in all its' splender,
Spelled White-tailed, Whitetail, White Tailed, or White-Tail,
In either case don't hit it with a fender,
Especially if you've borrowed a good friends lender,
The result of which you may be forced to mend her,
Which will mean that you end with much less tender.
The quandry of it all is that names don't count,
As long as we know what we're talking abount.
I have often been accused of being a foutain of useless information, but even I have to say, "who cares".
I too am a Minnesoooota hillbilly.
To distinguish a Canada goose (the species) from a Canadian goose (a native of the country to the north of the U.S.)
A normal, non-politically affiliated specimen says "honk"
A Canadian one says "hah-oonk"
It is like the difference between "out" and "ah-oot"
(Write that down someplace ... I hope to never be caught repeating it!)
Nancy M.
Shoot a Canadian/Canada goose out of season and see what they call it on the citation. They can't give you a ticket for a Canada goose is what you have is a Canadian goose. Right? I would do it myself but I'd probably get a Speckle belly (:
good humor Nancy
It's been awhile, I appreciated the banter!
A friend of mine and I argued the other day over the correct name for Canada/Canadian Goose...
He said Canada, I said Canadian.
So, upon reading the articles written here, I understand that Canada Goose is the more accepted term...
but is Canadian technically wrong?
In the "Taxadermist's Bible" is it Canada or Canadian...
In other words, am I completely wrong, or just "preferentially" wrong?
Thanks for your help,
an immunologist who knows nothing of taxidermy
fudge the world