HAWAIIAN NATIONAL BIRD

The NENE or Hawaiian Goose is the Hawaiian national bird.

The distinctive black head and searching eyes can be found on Kauai, among other islands. While the NENE is usually found in the wild and is skittish but beautiful, many resorts keep them on property and they happily habitat around ponds and waterfalls.  They are always well fed by the caretakers so happy to stay on property.  They have few predators so do not need to fly and their wings are weaker than most geese.  An endangered species, the NENE is great fun to watch.                                                                                                            While the NENE is, indeed, the national bird of Hawaii, on Kauai many believe that it is the chicken.  Wild chickens run everywhere – on the golf course, along the sidewalk, on the road, on the beach, in parking lots – everywhere!  Ask anyone on Kauai and they will tell you the chicken is the national bird of Kauai!  There are no natural predators so thousands roam the island at will.  You will see entire families – little chicks following behind – roaming the post office parking lot in Koloa Town, emerging from under a bush on a golf course and in every park and on every beach.  They are everywhere!  Foraging for food, the chickens are a favorite of tourists.  Ask any native of Kauai and they will tell you that the chickens used to be domesticated and on farms but the hen houses were destroyed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and the rest is history.  The Kauai chicken does add a special charm to an island visit.http://www.powerhiking.com