English name: North Island brown kiwi (western taxon)
Māori name: kiwi-nui
Scientific name: Apteryx mantelli
New Zealand status: Endemic
Conservation Status: Not threatened
Kaitiaki: Our founding population comes from a variety of sources including Tongaririo, Waimarino and Taranaki as well as from hatcheries: National Kiwi Hatchery Rotorua, Otorohanga Kiwi House, The Gallagher Kiwi Burrow Taupō
Threats: Habitat loss and mammalian predation, including dogs, ferrets and stoats. 50-60% of chicks survive in areas where predators are being controlled. 95% of kiwi die before reaching breeding age in areas that are not being managed.
Lifespan: 20-40 years
Did you know? Females are bigger than males, reaching up to 2.7kg. A kiwi egg is huge in proportion to its body, making up between 15 and 20% of a female’s weight.
Described as an ‘honorary’ mammal – nostrils on the end of the beak (can smell food 50mm below ground), sensory organ on the tip of the bill for detecting prey, bones filled with marrow (unusual for a bird), hair-like feathers, body temp of 38oC (2oC
Kiwi at Sanctuary Mountain® Maungatautari