---
title: "Hawaiigans"
description: "Branta sandvicensis — Vogels. The nene (Branta sandvicensis), also known as the nēnē or the Hawaiian goose, is a species of bird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/hawaiian-goose
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Hawaiigans

> Branta sandvicensis — Vogels. The nene (Branta sandvicensis), also known as the nēnē or the Hawaiian goose, is a species of bird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

- Scientific name: *Branta sandvicensis*
- Category: `birds` (Vogels)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 6574
- Wikidata: [Q687695](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q687695)
- iNaturalist taxon: [7104](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/7104)

## Names

- en: Hawaiian Goose
- de: Hawaiigans
- es: Barnacla nené
- fr: Bernache néné
- nl: Hawaiigans
- pt: Ganso-do-havaí
- pl: Bernikla hawajska

## Countries with the most observations

US (5496), GB (5), DE (3), FR (3)

## Summary

The nene (Branta sandvicensis), also known as the nēnē or the Hawaiian goose, is a species of bird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi. In 1957, it was designated as the official state bird of the state of Hawaiʻi.
The Hawaiian name nēnē comes from its soft call. The specific name sandvicensis refers to the Sandwich Islands, a former name for the Hawaiian Islands.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nene_(bird)

## Photo

![Hawaiigans](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/hawaiian-goose/medium.jpg)

Photo: Christina Hewitt · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19562315

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/hawaiian-goose?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).