Nene Sighting in West Maui

Aloha Kakou:

These nene were spotted yesterday at Ukumehame, the area near the shooting range where the new subdivisions are being built. The geese are feeding on the grass seed that was planted on the side of the newly widened highway.

While there were at one time thousands of these geese in Hawaii, the numbers now place them on the list of endangered species. Usually on Maui these birds are spotted on the flanks of Haleakala but, as you can see, they are sometimes found at lower altitudes.

The nene is the state bird of Hawaii and has been since statehood. These birds are distantly related to the Canada goose and have similar markings. The nene is smaller than its relative, however, and has black markings on the face, cap and hindneck and has tan colored cheeks. The nene also has the distinctive black striped neck, caused by diagonal rows of white feathers with the black skin showing between the rows.

The nene name is onomatopoeic; "nene", a light, almost conversational sound, is the sound most often heard from the bird by the early Hawaiians, though the bird can, like most geese, honk quite loudly when provoked.