Nene
Birds of A Feather - Hawaiian Birds
Gratifyingly, at least one endangered bird species
seems to have more than a flicker of hope for survival.
Hawai‘i’s state bird, the nene, is the last
surviving Hawaiian goose endemic to the Islands of at
least eight goose species known to have become extinct.
A bird with beautiful markings on head and neck, the
nene is thought to be a descendant of some ancient Canadian
goose that got off track, settled in Hawai‘i’s
mountains and over the years, lost most of the webbing
on its feet because it no longer needed to swim. In
the late 1700s, 25,000 nene were thought to inhabit
the Big Island, but by the 1950s the population had
dropped to an estimated 30 birds. Captive breeding programs
were at last put in place, until today it is estimated
about 300 nene survive on the Big Island, 200 on Maui,
and possibly 160 on Kaua‘i. The best place to spot
a nene on the Big Island is at Volcanoes National Park
at Kipuka Nene Campground, the summit caldera, Devastation
Trail and at Volcanoes Golf Course at dawn and dusk
when they are out feeding on grasses.
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