(BIVN) – Governor Linda Lingle proclaimed September 26, 2008, to be “Nene Awareness Day” in the state of Hawaiʻi.

The nene, or Hawaiian Goose, is recognized as the official bird of the state of Hawaiʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, and gets its name from the sound of the call it makes. It is often referred to as the world’s rarest goose, with less than 2,000 still living.

The pair in this video was filmed along the Waiakea Fishpond at Hilo’s Wailoa River State Park.

Although the nene is rebounding from near extinction, the bird still faces peril in the form of introduced predation, loss of habitat, and hazards of the Big Island’s highways.

The Nene Preservation and Awareness Society of Hawaiʻi, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife are sponsoring public awareness campaigns in the hope of assisting the rare bird.