What is the Hawaii State Bird?
The Nene was titled as the official state bird of Hawaii in 1957. It is also known as Hawaiian goose. The feathers of male and female nene are undistinguishable. Nene swim infrequently. They are not disturbed by cold temperatures or predators. Nene do not fly much. Their wings are feeble compared to all other geese. The average lifespan of nene is about 8 years. Nowadays Nene have feet that are half webbed compared to the other geese. They have extended toes for scaling the Hawaiian rocky planes. The Hawaii state bird, Nene, is a unique bird. It is in danger of total extinction. State Bird of
Hawaii Facts —
- Common name: Nene or Hawaiian Goose
- Scientific name: Brantasandvicensis
- Habitat: Grassland, Costal dunes, lava pains, shrublands
- Diet: Leaves, seeds, flower, fruits, grass, shrubs
- Weight: Female 1.525–2.56 kg, Male 1.695–3.05 kg
- Length: 41 cm
- Average lifespan: about 8 years
- Incubation period: 29-32 days
The Hawaiian goose aka “nene” (local name), is the scarcest goose breed in the whole world. This goose isslightly different from other geese because of its inactive life. It does not undertaketough weather. Its wings are not sturdy because it does not journey. To state the truth, it does not fly outside of Hawaii. It hardly ever swims, as a result, its feet are just somewhat webbed. As an alternative, its toes and legs are stretched than those of other kinds. Thisallows it to ascent over the rocky terrain of Hawaii and to walk without toddling which geese usually do.Since 1957, The Hawaiian goose has been Hawaii’s official state bird. The characteristic call of the Hawaiian Goose is a low, lamenting sound which is similar to the native name of this kind “ne ne”.
A group of geese is knownas a “blizzard”, “chevron”, “plump“, “knot”, or “string” of geese. “Goose” is the word for a female goose and ‘ganders’ are male goose. Geese on earth or water in a group are known as “gaggle”, in the air, a “skein”. Hawaiian geese is the evolved form of Canada geese. Itpossibly came to the Hawaiian Islands around 500, 000 years ago, which is soon after Hawaii was shaped. The beak of a goose is jagged on the inside. The tongue is the same. Sometimes it makes it look like fangs. The unevenness are for cutting juicy grass stems. In the past, Goose feathers were used to stuff golf balls. They were handmade. They werereallycostly.
Hawaiian geese are monogamous. They formeternaltwosome bonds. August through April is the upbringing season. Nene birdsbuild their nests in private pairs and the nest is constructed by the female bird. The same area is frequentlyused again year after year by the same couple. Nene lays 2-5 creamy white eggs usually. The female Nene bird incubates them for nearly one month.
The baby birds are self-sufficient and they can feed themselves. Although theytypicallycontinue with their parents for one year. They leave their parent’s housewhen they are at around 10-12 weeks old. They become sexually mature around 2-3 years old. They eat leaves, grasses, berries, flowers, and seeds. The Hawaii state bird Hawaiian geese may live in flocks of 30 birds typically. Some of the groups are more insecurely formed than others. They build nests from 45 meters to some very far away. Their average lifespan in 8 years.
The law designating the Nene, also known as the Hawaiian goose as the official Hawaii state bird is Section §5-17 (State bird.) of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 5 (EMBLEMS AND SYMBOL) Section 5-17 State bird.
Reference:
http://animalia.bio/hawaiian-goose
http://www.ereferencedesk.com
