Hawaii State Bird

Hawaii is the last state in the US to get admission into statehood. In other words, it is the 50th state to do so and the official acknowledgment happened on August 21 of 1959. The capital city of Hawaii is Honolulu. As for its nickname, it’s after the well-known greeting of Hawaii–the Aloha state. So, what kind of state bird would a state like this choose?

What is the State Bird of Hawaii?

The Hawaii state bird was designated its position in the year 1957. It’s none other than the Hawaiian Goose, also known as the Nene. For Nene, both the female and male species don’t have any difference in the plumage. Nene aren’t much into swim, nor do they pay attention to predators.

Even the cold temperature doesn’t seem to bother them. As a result, they don’t need to fly, which leads to their wings being weaker than those of other bird species. Nenes of today have feet that aren’t webbed as properly as those of other geese. Their toes are also longer as they do a lot of mountain climbing.

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What Makes the State Bird of Hawaii Unusual?

One of the most unusual things about Nene is its appearance itself. As the species got used to the Hawaiian climate, several noticeable changes in its appearance occurred. Their wings are far softer and don’t have the same power in them. The feet and toes of Nene have also changed to adapt to Hawaii. Toes are longer so they can climb the mountain easily while the webbing on their feet is halved since they don’t swim much.

Hawaii State Bird Facts

Let’s learn some interesting facts about the Hawaiian state bird.

1. Nene or the Hawaiian Goose are actually the descendants of the Canada Goose. Notable connections have been found between the two species in view of DNA fossils. It is suspected that some 500,000 years ago, the Canada Goose migrated to Hawaii and settled there permanently. Due to evolution, now, they have visible differences between their features.

2. The origin of the name “Nene” is attributed to the soft call of the bird species. In the Hawaiian language, the word Nene means to either croak, or chirp as a cricket would do, or the soft whimpering of an infant who is sleeping. It is also said that the Goose makes sound similar to a cow sometimes, essentially mooing.

3. The Nene is the rarest species of Goose left in the world. They almost went extinct at one point but were able to breed back. Still, among the waterfowls, they are still the sixth most endangered ones.

Final Thoughts

The Hawaiian Goose won’t exactly hide from you. So, if you want to see them, you only need to roam the mountain areas of Hawaii. They are quite fast with how they walk on land, though, so you might have a hard time catching up to them. Other than that, if you wish to see the Nene in Hawaii as a birder, it won’t be difficult at all.

Ornithology