Northern Brown Kiwi – Apteryx mantelli

Coordinator: Tracy Johnson / Ian Fraser

Habitat and Distribution: North Island Kiwi widely distributed in forested areas. Higher density in Northland native and exotic forests and scrubland. South Island Brown Kiwi confined to Fiordland and South Westland.

Characteristics: Flightless, nocturnal. Females are larger and have longer, more curved bills. Stewart Island subspecies is the largest of the Brown Kiwi and often forages in daytime. Nostrils at the tip of the bill. Because they have poor eyesight, they rely largely on their sense of smell to find food and to detect any sign of danger.

Voice: Male utters repeated prolonged whistling calls. Female call is shorter and hoarser. Snuffling sounds when feeding.

Food: Insects, grubs, spiders, fallen fruits, vegetation. Probes deeply in soft soil for earthworms leaving characteristic bore marks.

Breeding: Nest is an underground burrow or depression under tree roots or hollow log. Clutch 1 or 2 very large off white eggs laid at intervals of 10 -30 days. Incubation by male, but Stewart Island female reported to share incubation. Incubation period 72-80 days, sometimes up to 90 days. Chicks first leave burrow when 4 - 9 days old

Captive Program: There are 15 captive parks and zoos in New Zealand that hold kiwi for advocacy, captive breeding and caring for sick and injured kiwi. There are also 14 International Zoos that have captive kiwi.

Associated Documents:

Kiwi Recovery Plan

Kiwi Captive Management Plan

Kiwi Husbandry Manual