Nene
Nene, (Branta sandvicensis), also called Hawaiian goose, endangered species of goose of the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes) and the official state bird of Hawaii. The nene is a relative of the Canada goose that evolved in the Hawaiian Islands into a nonmigratory, nonaquatic species with shortened wings and half-webbed feet for walking on rough lava. The nene is about 65 cm (25 inches) long and has a gray-brown barred body, dark-streaked buff neck, and black face. It feeds on berries and grasses on high lava slopes.
By 1911, predation by introduced mammals, including dogs, cats, pigs, and mongooses, coupled with human hunting, had reduced the nene population to a few small flocks. From that year, shooting of the nene was forbidden, but the species nevertheless declined further, reaching about 30 in 1952. A captive breeding program that released birds reared in Hawaii and England failed to establish sustaining populations on the islands of Hawaii and Maui, probably because these islands had mongooses that preyed on goslings and eggs. Birds were not released on other islands because it was thought that the species was not native there. However, after Hurricane Iwa in 1982 accidentally released several captive nene on mongoose-free Kauai, a thriving population arose. The nene is now so common there that it is found on golf courses. After this accidental re-introduction, subfossil evidence discovered by Smithsonian Institution scientists revealed that the nene was once found throughout the Hawaiian archipelago. The population on Kauai today is steadily increasing.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
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anseriform: Importance to humans…has been that of the Hawaiian goose (
Branta sandvicensis ). In 1950 about 30 of these birds existed. Twenty years later, thanks to avicultural efforts at Slimbridge and in Hawaii, there were more than a thousand, several hundred of which were released in original habitat, where they have sustained their numbers.… -
Hawaii: Plant and animal lifeThese include the nene (Hawaiian goose), the Hawaiian stilt, and a variety of small forest birds known as honeycreepers. Some species of birds have become extremely rare, but, as the result of an increased environmental awareness, steps have been taken to preclude their extinction. Seabirds nest in profusion…
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zoo: Function and purpose…that there were only 50 nenes, or Hawaiian geese, left on Hawaii and none anywhere else in the world. In 1950 two nenes were housed at the Wildfowl Trust at Slimbridge, Eng., and in 1951 a gander was hatched. The birds continued to breed successfully, and gradually the captive stock…