Nene (bird)

Nene
At Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii, USA
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Branta
Species:
B. sandvicensis
Binomial name
Branta sandvicensis
(Vigors, 1834)
Synonyms
  • Bernicla Sandvicensis (protonym)
  • Nesochen sandvicensis
  • Branta sandwichensis

The Nene (Branta sandvicensis), also known as the nēnē or the Hawaiian goose, is a species of bird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The Nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kauaʻi, Molokai, and Hawaiʻi. In 1957, it was designated as the official state bird of the state of Hawaiʻi.

The Hawaiian name nēnē comes from its soft call. The specific name sandvicensis refers to the Sandwich Islands, a former name for the Hawaiian Islands.