nene
n. C2 Proficiency US //ˈnin// nene
n. a type of small, colorful bird that lives in Hawaii. It is also the name of a famous bird that was once thought to be extinct but was later found again.
n. a species of Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, native to the Hawaiian Islands. Often used to refer to the specific subspecies of the nene that was once thought to be extinct.
The nene is a protected bird in Hawaii.
Conservationists worked hard to protect the nene from predators and habitat loss on the islands.
The rediscovery of the nene in the early twentieth century marked a significant milestone in the history of wildlife conservation in the Pacific.
Borrowed from Hawaiian nēnē, which is imitative of the bird’s call.