Nene Pictures, Photos, Photography

The Nene (Branta sandvicensis), is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It shares a recent common ancestor with the Canada goose (Branta canadensis). The official bird of the State of Hawaii, the Nene is exclusively found in the wild of the islands of Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. Its h1 toes have much reduced webbing, an adaptation to the lava flows on which it breeds. It is the world's rarest goose. The bird was once believed to be common, but hunting and introduced predators such as mongooses, pigs, and cats reduced the population to 30 birds by 1952. However, the species breeds well in captivity, and has been successfully re-introduced.