A new initiative is looking to reduce roadside deaths of nēnē on Kauaʻi.
The Mānā Plains Nēnē Project will focus on reducing car collisions with nēnē along a 5-mile stretch of Kaumualiʻi Highway in West Kauaʻi near the Kawaiʻele Waterbird Sanctuary. It's run by the Archipelago Research and Conservation group with funds from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Jillian Soller with ARC said that bit of road is particularly deadly for Hawaiʻi's state bird.
Since Friday, five nēnē have been fatally hit by cars in the area.
The first phase of the project will work to establish why nēnē seem to flock to this roadside. Soller said that information will help inform strategies about how to reduce mortality rates.
Nēnē nesting season is also reaching its peak, which Soller said adds another layer of risk.
Nēnē form strong bonds with their mates and will mourn their loss. When one is killed by a car, the other will often stand beside it on the road, sometimes for several days. Soller said the remaining bird is often struck and killed as well.
Nēnē goslings exhibit the same behavior.
"It has been common to find maybe entire families that have been hit because they're all grouped together, and they will stay and mourn the members of their family right in the road," Soller said.
Kauaʻi is home to about 2,400 nēnē, roughly 60% of the statewide population. They were reintroduced to the island in 1991.
Hawaiʻi’s nēnē population hit its lowest point in the 1950s, when fewer than 30 individuals remained.
Soller said that nēnē have made an "amazing comeback" over the last 75 years, but they are still vulnerable.
"With how many that we're finding on the roads, it's a significant chunk of the population that is still struggling to fit in here," she said. "What we can do to help them coexist with us is really important."
If someone sees an injured or killed nēnē on Kauaʻi, they should call the Division of Forestry and Wildlife hotline at 808-634-0963.
