Hawaiʻi's state bird disappeared from Molokaʻi — now the nēnē is making a comeback

Native birds are returning to Molokaʻi, offering an uncommon bit of optimism for people who follow endangered species.

Conservation coverage often focuses on losses, but this post about Hawaiʻi's nēnē points toward hope.

What happened?

A Reddit user shared a Hawaiʻi Public Radio story in r/environment about efforts to bring back the nēnē to Molokaʻi after it had vanished from the island. Within a few hours, the post had collected more than 100 upvotes.

The nēnē is a Hawaiian goose and the state's bird.

The effort focuses on translocation, moving birds to reestablish a population on an island where the species had been lost.

As Hawaiʻi Public Radio reported: "This is a restoration of a species that had completely disappeared."

Why does it matter?

The nēnē is native to Hawaiʻi and found nowhere else naturally, so each island population is important. Returning the bird to Molokaʻi is part of repairing past damage and restoring a species to places where it once lived.

Native species are closely tied to a place's identity, history, and ecological health, and their recovery can deepen cultural connection and pride.

Translocation programs remain an important conservation tool, especially on islands, where ecosystems can be fragile. Success stories like this help build support for habitat protection, long-term monitoring, and sustained investment.

What are people saying?

Early reaction to the post has been hopeful.

Lavinia Currier, owner of Puʻu O Hōkū Ranch, which has been instrumental to Hawaiʻi's population recovery efforts, told Hawaiʻi Public Radio: "This is a restoration of a species that had completely disappeared."

Puʻu O Hōkū general manager Galen McCleary spoke about the optimism at the ranch, adding: "The crew here was super excited, but I think more broadly, too, in the community, people were excited to see that."

"Best thing on reddit today," one Reddit user commented on the post.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.