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The species' common name is derived from Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers.
Their ability to drink salt or brackish water allows numbers of geese to remain on offshore islands all year round. They are one of the rarest of the world's geese. They are gregarious outside the breeding season, when they wander more widely, forming small flocks.
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A previous decline in numbers appears to have been reversed as birds in the east at least have adapted to feeding on agricultural land. The breeding areas are grassy islands off the Australian coast, where this species nests on the ground. Breeding pairs are strongly territorial. It bears captivity well, quite readily breeding in confinement if large enough paddocks are provided.
In Australia, 19th-century explorers named a number of islands "Goose Island" due to the species' presence there.
A few geese were introduced near Christchurch, New Zealand, where the population persists.
In 1968, a small number of geese were introduced to Maria Island.
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