Everything about The Hawaiian Goose totally explained
The
Hawaiian Goose or
Nēnē,
Branta sandvicensis, is a
species of
goose endemic to the
Hawaiian Islands. It shares a recent common ancestor with
Branta canadensis, the
Canada Goose. The official bird of the
State of Hawaii, the Nēnē is exclusively found in the wild of the islands of
Maui,
Kauai and
Hawaii. A larger, extinct and possibly flightless species, the
Nēnē-nui (
Branta hylobadistes), was present in prehistoric times on Maui; related, but hitherto undescribed forms also occurred on Kauai and
Oahu, and there was a gigantic, flightless relative on the island of Hawaii.
The Nēnē gets its
Hawaiian name from its soft call.
The adult male has a black head and hindneck, buff cheeks and heavily furrowed neck. It mates on land unlike most other wildfowl.
This is the world's rarest goose. The bird was once believed to be common, with approximately 25,000 nenes living in Hawaii when Captain
James Cook arrived in 1778. However, there's some concern of inbreeding due to the small initial population of birds. The nature reserve
WWT Slimbridge in
England was instrumental in the successful breeding of Nēnē geese in captivity. Under the direction of the leading conservationist Sir
Peter Scott, it was bred back from the brink of extinction during the
1950s for later re-introduction into the wild in Hawaii. There are still Nene geese at Slimbridge today.
Gallery
image:nene.neck.arp.600pix.jpg|The distinctive neck pattern
image:Branta sandvicensis Volcano Winery Big Island.jpg|A group of Nēnē; the bird on the right shows the characteristic foot
Image:nene_sign.jpg|A sign in Hawai‘i warning of crossing Nēnē.
Image:Nene, Kauai.JPG|Two Nēnē at the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.
Image:20051211 644.JPG|Two Nene on Pali Trail between Maalaea and Lahaina.
Image:Nene_hilo.jpg|Three Nēnē in a forest Hilo, Hawaii.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hawaiian Goose'.
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