Having never heard of this bird, admittedly I first thought of Bravo TV’s guilty pleasure and the Nene of Real Housewives. Alas, I actually find this one far more interesting! (No offense Nene.) 

The Nene Bird (also called the Hawaiian Goose) is the state bird of Hawaii. Laws that allowed hunting the Nene Bird during its breeding season, when it’s most vulnerable, drastically reduced the populations and put them on the endangered species list. By 1950, there were fewer than 50 birds in the wild. “Early programs for returning captive-bred birds to the wild proved difficult, but recent efforts have been very successful. There are now small but stable populations of Nene on the islands of Hawai’i, Maui, and Kaua’i” (Aloha Hawaii.) And Hawaiian park rangers are working dilligently to bring the population back. “There are now about 800 wild Nene in Hawai’i and the numbers are rising with each breeding season.” 

You can check out the Explore.org short film here and read more about the Nene Bird on the Hawaiian Audubon Society’s page here.