This bird is so named because of its soft call, and is the Official bird of Hawaii. The Nene is the world's rarest goose. It is believed that approximately 25,000 thrived when Captain James Cook arrived in 1778. However, hunting and introduced predators, such as Mongooses, pigs, and cats, reduced the population to 30 birds by 1952. In 2004, it was estimated that there were 800 birds in the wild, as well as 1000 in wildfowl collections and zoos. Under the direction of the leading conservationist Peter Scott, it was bred back from the brink of extinction during the 1950s for later re-introduction into the wild in Hawaii.
