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Two nēnē killed by cars on Maui last Sunday

On Sunday, two n“n” — Hawai’i’s state bird — were killed by cars in separate incidents, according to officials at the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The birds were born and raised on Maui. Witnesses reported that one of the birds was part of a pair that were being fed by a person in a stopped car on Amala Place in Kahului. The other bird was hit near the air cargo bypass of the airport.

Active nesting pairs, with goslings, have already been seen in the Kahului area. It is unknown if these deaths are from any pairs with recently hatched goslings.

Many n“n” nest and feed around the waters of the Kanahā Pond State Wildlife area, which is circled by urban roads and highways.

This is the time of year that young n“n” pair up, form lifelong bonds and explore to find room and nesting sites away from other pairs. N“n” are powerful in flight but have difficulty dodging speeding cars because the large birds need a ‘runway,’ or a longer flight path than smaller birds.

People who feed these wild animals can endanger them because the birds learn to associate food with cars. Feeding protected wildlife is also illegal.

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