Hawaiian+Goose+2010



By: Zachary T



The Hawaiian Goose is a medium –sized goose about 41 centimeters tall. Adult males have a black head. The neck has black and white diagonal stripes. The female is smaller but is similar in color. The adult’s bill, legs, and feet are black. The female mates on land and lays one to five eggs. The Hawaiian Goose eats leaves, seeds, fruit, and flowers of grasses and shrub. This is the world’s rarest goose. However hunting and introduced predators such as Small Asian Mongooses, pigs, and cats reduced population numbers to 30 in 1952. The Hawaiian Goose breeds well in captivity and in 2004, was estimated to 800 geese in the wild, and 1000 in wildfowl collections and zoos. We should be able to save these rare Hawaiian Geese by breeding them more in captivity because they do breed very well in captivity.