Nēnē geese are endemic to Hawaii, but they might remind you of Canada geese. In fact, these two species are believed to have descended from a common ancestor. However, some sources report nēnē to have descended from their North American relatives. Ancestry aside, there are several noticable differences. Nēnēs are much smaller than their North American relatives and, instead of solid black, their neck is covered with buff-colored feathers arranged in a sweeping pattern.

It is believed there were tens of thousands of nēnēs before man arrived in the islands. However, due to unmanaged consumption and predation by introduced animals, nēnēs were at the brink of extinction in 1952 when their population dropped to 30 birds. Today, based on recovery efforts in Hawaii and by a naturalist in England, the nēnē population has increased to over 3,000 across the islands. However, this is still relatively low considering threats from inbreeding and predation from non-native animals. Also, motorists fatally struck several nēnēs at the Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park. Nēnēs are the last remaining species of native geese in Hawaii from what was believed to be 5 species. Federally, nēnēs are listed as Threatened. In the State of Hawaii, they are listed as Endangered.

Nēnē, pronounced “nay-nay”, became the State Bird in 1957.