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Hawaiian Goose

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                 iHawaiian Goose

                             Conservation status

   Vulnerable (VU)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Anseriformes
   Family:  Anatidae
   Genus:   Branta
   Species: B. sandvicensis

                                Binomial name

   Branta sandvicensis
   ( Vigors, 1833)

   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 Hawai‘i, the Nēnē is exclusively found in the wild of the
   islands of Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i. 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 Kaua‘i and O‘ahu, and there was a gigantic, flightless
   relative on the island of Hawai‘i.

   The Nēnē gets its Hawaiian name from its soft call.

   The species has a black head, buff cheeks and heavily furrowed neck.
   Bill, legs and feet are black. The young birds are as the male but
   duller brown and with less demarcation between the colors of the head
   and neck, and striping and barring effects are much reduced. Bill, legs
   and feet as for the adult.

   The female Hawaiian Goose is similar to the male in coloring but
   slightly smaller.

   Its strong toes have much reduced webbing, an adaptation to the lava
   flows on which it breeds. It mates on land unlike most other wildfowl.

   This is the world's rarest goose. Once common, hunting and introduced
   predators such as mongooses, pigs, and cats reduced the population to
   30 birds by 1952. However, this species breeds well in captivity, and
   has been successfully re-introduced so in 2004 it was estimated that
   there were 500 birds in the wild (and good numbers in wildfowl
   collections).

   The distinctive neck pattern

   A group of Nēnē; the bird on the right shows the characteristic foot

   A sign in Hawai‘i warning of crossing Nēnē.

   Two Nēnē at the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Goose"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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