the new Zealand kiwis 

 

 

North Island Brown Kiwi. Photo by Rod Morris/DOC Stewart Island brown kiwi, Mount Bruce.  J.L.Kendrick.

                                      

 

The kiwi is a curious bird: It cannot fly, has loose hair like feathers and also has long whiskers.

It’s completely nocturnal and it burrows in the ground. It’s the only bird known to have nostrils at the end of its bill and literally sniffs out food. It also has one of the largest egg-to-body.

The kiwi is related to the ostrich of Africa, the Emus of Australia and the now-extinct moa of New Zealand. Females are larger than males and with the brown kiwi; the male does most of the egg incubating. Kiwis live in pairs and mate for life, sometimes as long as 30 years. There are now about 75,000 kiwis Brown Kiwi chickleft in New Zealand.

The brown kiwi is still widespread in the central and northern North Island, but the little spotted kiwi survives only on offshore islands. Around ONE THOUSAND of them live on Kapiti Island (In New Zealand).

Stoats (a sort of weasel) and cats kill 95 per cent of kiwi chicks before they are six months old. Ferrets and dogs often kill adult kiwis.

The Department of Conservation strategy to preserve the kiwi is the following process:

- Protect nests in the wild from predators,

- Raise chicks in captivity and release them into the wild when they are able to defend themselves from stoats and cats,

- Seek help from the community, especially in areas where kiwi are still found on private land.

For New Zealanders, the kiwi is not just another bird and saving the kiwi is not just a matter of concern for scientists and conservationists. To Maori and Pakeha alike, kiwi are a taonga, or treasure and part of our unique identity.

 

 http://www.doc.govt.nz/Conservation/001~Plants-and-Animals/001~Native-Animals/Kiwi.asp

http://www.kiwirecovery.com

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