The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124(3):478-486, 2012 
RESTORATION OF MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF THE 
HAWAIIAN GOOSE 
STEVEN C. HESS, 1 * - 6 CHRISTINA R. LEOPOLD,-’ KATHLEEN MISAJON, 3 
DARCY HU. 4 AND JOHN J. JEFFREY 5 
ABSTRACT.—We used visual observations of banded individuals and satellite telemetry from 2007 to 2011 on Hawaii 
Island to document movement patterns of the Hawaiian Goose (Bronra sandvicensis), commonly known as Nene. Visual 
observations of numbered leg bands identified >19% and Sl0% of 323 geese at one of two breeding sites and one of two 
distant non-breeding areas during 2007-2011. We used satellite telemetry to document movement patterns of 10 male Nene 
from 2009 to 2011. and log-linear models to quantify the magnitude and individual differences in altitudinal migration.Two 
subpopulations of Nene moved 974.4 m (95% Cl ± 22.0) and 226.4 m (95% Cl ± 40.7) in elevation between seasons on 
average, from high-elevation shrublands during the non-breeding season of May-August, to lower-elevation breeding and 
molting areas in September-April. Traditional movement patterns were thought to be lost until recently, but the movement 
pattern we documented with satellite telemetry was similar to altitudinal migration described by early naturalists in Hawaii 
prior to the severe population decline of Nene in the 20th century. Received II January 2011. Accepted 14 April 2012. 
The Hawaiian Goose, commonly known as 
Nene (Branta sandvicensis ), was reduced to near¬ 
extinction in the late 1940s with an estimated 30 
wild and 11 captive individuals on Hawaii Island 
(Smith 1952, Kcar and Berger 1980). Causes of 
their precipitous decline were unregulated hunt¬ 
ing, habitat destruction, and several introduced 
predatory mammal species. Feral cats (he!is 
cants), dogs (Canis familiaris). and small Indian 
mongooses ( Herpestes auropunctatus ) prey on 
adults; leral pigs (Sits scrofa) and rats (Ramis 
spp.) depredate nests (Banko 1992). Decades of 
captive propagation and releases into the wild 
have resulted in a population of -2.000 Nene 
throughout the Hawaiian Islands, although most 
island populations are not yet self-sustaining; 
predation remains high and breeding success low 
(USDI 2004). Most captive-raised geese were 
released above 1,524 m because low-elevation 
habitats had been profoundly altered and the 
remaining wild Nene were observed at high- 
1 Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, U.S. 
Geological Survey. KTIauea Field Station. P. O. Box 44. 
Hawaii National Park. HI 96718, USA. 
’Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit. University of 
Hawaii. Hilo. P. O Box 44. Hawaii National Park. HI 
96718. USA. 
‘U.S. National Park Service, Division of Resources 
Management. P. O. Box 52, Hawaii National Park. HI 
96718. USA. 
OfW S p N n k n al Service ' Paci,lc Wcst Regional 
USA P ' °' B ° X 52 ' nawai ‘' National Park. Ill 96718. 
967 J 83^uSA frey Ph0 '° 8raphy ' P ° 40. Pcpeekeo, HI 
"Corresponding author; e-mail: shess@usgs.gov 
478 
elevation (Kcar and Berger 1980, Black et al. 
1997, Banko ct al. 1999). One consequence of the 
mid-20th century population bottleneck may have 
been loss of traditional movement patterns. 
Altitudinal migration was described in Nene 
prior to its severe population decline (Henshaw 
1902, Perkins 1903). These movements consisted 
of breeding anti molting in low-elevation grass¬ 
lands in September-April, and flights to high- 
elevation shrublands during May-August (Banko 
et al 1999). However. Nene that were reintro¬ 
duced throughout Hawaii Island from captivity 
did not exhibit altitudinal migration patterns 
for many generations after the population began 
to recover (Black ct al. 1997, Woos and Black 
2001). Altitudinal migration became re-estab¬ 
lished among several Hawaii Island subpopula¬ 
tions in the late 1990s (Hess 2011). but little was 
known about movements in the remote interior o! 
the island. Two subpopulations, one near Hilo and 
another in the KTIauea region of Hawaii Volca¬ 
noes National Park, remained relatively isolated 
from all others, exhibiting little regular seasonal 
movement or genetic interchange. 
Altitudinal migration patterns of Nene prior to 
human contact are unknown, although subfossil 
remains have been found as high as 2.683 ni (J- G. 
Gitfin. pers. comm.). The selective pressures on 
Nene likely changed with arrival of Hawaii's 
original human inhabitants (Paxinos et al. 2002b) 
and. more dramatically with arrival of Western¬ 
ers; thus, historical and current regimes may not 
be representative of conditions under which Nene 
evolved. Re-establishment of traditional movement 
patterns may be beneficial to the species: (I) 
