Hawaiian Nene Goose Diet

Finding Food

• Nene geese are grazers and eat small meals more than once a day. The geese will eat food along the lava fields; they will continue their eating patterns even when they are confined in a zoo or as pets. In the zoo, the geese are often fed bird chow, which contains several vitamins and nutrients necessary for the bird's development.

Herbivore Diet

• Nene geese are herbivores, meaning they eat plants only. Favorites of the geese include weeds and grass, but they especially like to eat berries. The ohelo berry grows on plants that are low enough for the geese to reach, and the animal will eat several berries per day.

Baby Geese

• When geese hatch, they are not able to fly for at least 11 weeks. During this time, the mother will bring food to the gosling; nourishment includes leaves and plants, as well as herbs that are native to the area where the geese live. After baby geese are able to leave the nest, they will graze in search of food but will also be able to fly to a new area where there is food.

Additional Foods

• Nene geese will also eat the flowers and stems of plants as well as flower buds. Nene also eat a variety of fruits besides berries and feed on fruits such as mango or papaya if it is available. Small sections of these foods are eaten at a time, and it is quite common for the geese to eat out of humans' hands at national parks or petting zoos.

Water Intake

• The Hawaiian nene goose does not need a considerable amount of fresh water to drink each day. The bird gets the majority of the water that is necessary for growth and dehydration prevention from the ohelo berries that it eats. Younger geese may eat less than a handful of berries per day, but this is often sufficient water intake for the bird to thrive.