Nēnē

Place: The Duckery, Leeds Castle, England.
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2006.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

These gorgeous birds with their jet-black faces, distinctive neck markings and attractively barred and striped bodies are called nēnē. The species is also known as the Hawaiian goose, because it is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

Unfortunately, due to hunting and introduced predators, nēnē have become the world's rarest geese and at one stage there were less than 30 birds left in the wild. The good news is that they breed well in captivity and the population is on the rise.

This pair was photographed at The Duckery at Leeds Castle, which has a large collection of nēnē and other species of waterfowl, including Australian black swans.