An endangered bird species living in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands has acquired a couple of Hawaiian names under a program that seeks to honor and maintain Hawaiian culture.

The Nihoa Millerbird has been listed as the "ululu" on Nihoa Island and "ululu niau" on Laysan Island.

The birds are located within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

"These new names help to connect these life forms to the genealogy of Hawaii. As best as possible, we try to ensure that these names are consistent with the Hawaiian worldview and traditional ecological knowledge of our homeland," said Kekuewa Kikiloi, chairman of the national monument’s Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group.

The name ululu — meaning "growing things" — was given to the endemic and endangered Nihoa Millerbird with the hope that its population will continue to grow in the coming years, officials said.

In 2011 and 2012 a small number of ululu were translocated to Laysan Island by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, American Bird Conservancy and other partners to improve the long-term survival prospects for the species and to fill a gap in Laysan’s ecosystem that was once filled by the now-extinct Laysan Millerbird.

Officials said that during transport, the 650 miles of ocean that separated the two islands were uncharacteristically calm, thus inspiring the name ululu niau — "niau" meaning "moving smoothly, swiftly, silently and peacefully; flowing or sailing thus."