Kauaʻi record · kba_bird_hawaiian_goose
Hawaiian Goose
Branta sandvicensis
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About Hawaiian Goose
Hawaiian Goose (Branta sandvicensis) is recorded as a reintroduced native resident on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.
Kauaʻi evidence
Bishop Museum island checklist (version 2, 2017) lists Kauaʻi status N: naturalized resident or reintroduced population. See original island table. A Hawaiʻi-level record is available, but the species needs a documented Kauaʻi observation before local ecological conclusions are drawn. This native bird is documented on Kauaʻi; the former occurrence flag was too cautious. Nēnē is native to Hawaiʻi; the N code describes its reintroduced Kauaʻi population, not an alien species.
Occurrence evidence
bishop_island_checklist_2017
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Branta sandvicensis
- Common names
- Hawaiian Goose
- Hawaiian names
- Nēnē
- Family
- Anatidae
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Kauaʻi documented: reintroduced native resident (2017 island checklist)
- Origin
- Endemic
- Conservation status
- Endangered
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-29
- Evidence limits
- Island occurrence supported by the 2017 checklist; abundance and current year presence are not established here
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Wetlands
- Food and resource needs
- Herbivorous grazing/browsing profile
- Reproduction
- Suitable nesting or roosting sites, seasonal food, and protection from disturbance and predators.
- Shelter
- Shelter and structure within wetlands.
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Disease surveillance, disturbance, vehicle/visitor conflict, predators, and managed-refuge carrying capacity
- Conservation actions
- Refuge protection, viewpoint/traffic controls, habitat management, disease surveillance, and hotspot-level monitoring
- Monitoring
- Document date, place, observer, habitat, behavior, and supporting media for any Kauaʻi observation.
- Data gaps
- Update island status with dated contemporary records · Specific Kauaʻi habitat and abundance need local evidence
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Resident Threatened Species With Managed Kauai Hotspots
- Seasonal description
- Hawaiian Goose (Branta sandvicensis) is recorded as a reintroduced native resident on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.
Sources and further reading
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/hanalei/species
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/hanalei
- https://hawaiibirdingtrails.hawaii.gov/birding_hotspot/kawai%CA%BBele-state-waterbird-sanctuary/
- https://hawaiibirdingtrails.hawaii.gov/birding_hotspot/hanalei-national-wildlife-refuge/
- https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/birds/
- https://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/birds/rlp-monograph/SEHIlist.htm
- https://www.fws.gov/species/nene-branta-sandvicensis
- https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/birds/nene/