When you travel to Hawaii, you might be expecting to see dolphins or whales, turtles, or even the rare Hawaiian monk seal.

But did you know that Hawaii is also the only home to the world’s rarest goose species?

These iconic birds are so beloved in Hawaii that they have been adopted in the state’s iconography too. Also known as the nēnē, this species of goose is the Hawaiian state bird: fittingly so, since bird lovers have to travel to the state if ever they wish to catch sight of this unusual bird.

Relatively small for a goose, the nēnē usually measures between 20 and 30 inches in length, with male birds weighing up to 3kg. As a subspecies of the much more common Canada goose, the nēnē has grey brown feathers over most of its body, with a characteristic black stripe that covers its face and the top of its head.

And that’s not all that is unusual about this goose. Even more fascinating is its name. Nēnē means ‘croak’ or ‘chirp’ in Hawaiian. This is because, as well as the honking that you might associate with geese, the nēnē also make croaking and cow-like sounds.

Unlike other geese, the nēnē has adapted over time to live on the sometimes volatile Hawaiian terrain. This means evolving to live alongside volcanoes; as a result, the webbed feet of the nēnē have adapted to be more padded and streamlined to protect the bird while traversing the rough surface of cooled and hardened lava.

But why are nēnē so rare?

Despite having a lifespan of 30 years, this goose has been brought to the brink of extinction due to the influence of humans. In fact, in the year 1950 there were only 30 nēnē left, both in Hawaii and across the world. This is quite something, considering their numbers totalled over 25,000 before humans populated the island.

Unfortunately, as Kathleen Misajon from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park explained in an interview, the reason that the nēnē evolved to be so distinct was also the reason that it almost became extinct. It had lived without disturbance for many years:

“All of these species evolved without human impact, and without mammals basically. And so when people started coming and bringing different animals and insects and diseases – and all of these things were introduced to the islands – the species here were not adapted to those things. And so they easily fell prey.”

However, since the nēnē was protected by the Endangered Species Act in 1967, its population has slowly increased. The protection of their habitats, as well as breeding programmes, have brought this iconic species back to such an extent that they are no longer considered Endangered. With over 2,000 adult nēnē now established in Hawaii, the birds are currently classed as Near Threatened.

This is testament to the hard work of scientists and conservationists, and, as Misajon notes, demonstrates the beneficial impact that humans can have on the natural world:

“I think nēnē really are a great success story, but the story doesn’t end. It’s gonna be […] work in perpetuity, in order to keep the species alive. They’re always going to be reliant on some level of assistance from humans.

They clearly belong here. And it’s nice to be a part of helping ensure that they stay here.”

And as habitat loss becomes an increasingly problematic part of human progress, with deforestation and urban spread destroying ecosystems and causing the decline of species around the world, programs like the one that brought the nēnē back from potential collapse will become all the more important.

If we can save this beautiful bird, there is hope for the rest of the animal kingdom.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about the mysterious “pyramids” discovered in Antarctica. What are they?