Apteryx owenii (Little Spotted Kiwi)
Description: Small, terrestrial birds with rudimentary wings, no tail and strong, stout legs. The head is comparatively small with a long, strong neck. They have pear-shaped bodies, which are extremely robust. The stunted wings are short and hidden by the plumage and they have a claw at the tips. The bill is long and flexible, with nostrils at the distal end rather than the base. The upper mandible is d#slightly longer than the lower and is somewhat swollen towards the tip. The tongue is horny and pointed.
The plumage is crude and shaggy, looking more like fur than feathers at a distance. At the base of the the bill they have a few bristles that are also modified feathers and not hairs.
The powerful legs are set far appart, this gives them an awkward, rolling gait. They have four toes, three fore and one small hind; all the toes end with a strong claw.
Adult
Coat: Light brown with broken dark brown and white bands, The head and neck are plain with a paler patchin front of the eye and darker patch on top of the head. The bill is pinkish brown and the legs yellow brown. They have dark brown eyes.
Size: 35-45cm. Males bill 63-72mm, females bill 75-94mm.
Weight: Male 880-1356g, female 1000-1950g.
Senses: Kiwis have poor eyesight, but good hearing and scent. They can swim remarkably well, having no difficulty in crossing streams and shallow pools, either swimming or wading.
In daylight they can only see about 2ft in front of them and in the night about 6ft.
Habitat: Evergreen and deciduous forest with dense undergrowth. Also in forest margins and grassland. In temperate regions, from sea-level up to at least 1000m, mainly in hills.
Range: Adults pair for life and hold territories together. They dig out burrows within their home range together and select one each day to rest. Usually they sleep together through the day and go their separate ways to forage through the night.
Unlike most other bird species they mark their territory with feces. Usually leaving them near to burrows.
Both sexes are territorial and they expel intruders with calls, leading to chases and indeed kicks.
Distribution: South Ilands, Kapiti Island and North Island, where they are thought to have been introduced.
Status: Vulnerable. Kapiti Island is the last viable population. The last sightings on the North and South Island where in 1938 and so it is thought to be extinct.
Habitat changes are a serious threat, such as agriculture and burning. They are also preyed upon by both introduced mammals and native birds.
Daily Rhythm: Nocturnal. Through the day they rest in burrows, that they dig out themselves, or natural hollows, such as between tree roots, in thick vegetation or in hollow tree stumps.
When they emerge after sunset, they may stand at the entrance to the burrow for several minuets, up to 15 have been recorded.
Pairs may share a burrow or they may choose separate burrows on their territory.
Voice: Kiwi's call throughout the year, they begin calling soon after sunset, with a peak in frequencey about 1-3 hours after dark, and they continue calling troughout the night.
Calls are used in defence of territory and to contact mates. During the breeding season the frequencey of calls increases.
When calling kiwi's adopt an upright stance, with the head and neck fully stretched and the bill pointing upwards. Males more frequently call then females but both males and females participate in duets frequently. When birds duet, one birds call is followed immediately by the others call. Males from neighbouring territories frequently answer such calls and vocal duels ensue. Such duels can lead to aggressive encounters on the boarders of home ranges. Most fights consist of snorts and bill snapping and some physical battle also.
When kiwi's are alarmed or aggressive they growl and hiss, loudly punctuating these sounds with bill snapping.
Pairs that have shared a daytime burrow will grunt and snuffle for several minutes before coming out into the open, they also continue grunting and snuffeling at the opening to the burrow before they leave to forage. When birds put their bills together and greet one another they often grunt and snuffle and the male grunts when the birds copulate.
Birds also snort when about to fight, makes a mewing call that becomes a high pitched purr during copulation. Younger birds and chicks are generally silent, they make a 2peeping2 sound occasionally, as a contact call when outside of the burrow; when alarmed they squeak and bill clap.
Enemies: Introduced mammals, such as rats, mustelids, dogs, cats and pigs.
Chicks and eggs are very vulnerable to predation.
Prey: Mostly invertebrates (generally 5-40mm long, especially earthworms, terricolae and spiders), also fruit and fern sporangia.
Food and Feeding: Food is mostly located by scent in leaf litter and soil. the bill is inserted into the soil where prey is smelt and levered back and forth to widen the hole. Rotten logs and natural hollows are also searched when they are foraging.
Grouping: Adults for pair bonds that last throughout their lifetime. The pair usually occupies a terriotry that can be a small as 2-3 ha. Pairs usually rest together in the same burrow throughout the day, however they sometimes choose to rest in seperate burrows. Such occasionas often take place in the breeding season when the female will leave the male in the nest burrow to incubate.
Breeding: Laying manily occurs in September-October, also November -December, and even in January-April. They are monogamous and they nest appart from other breeding pairs.
During the courtship pairs carry out chases, jumps, hissing and grunting duets. Part of the courtship involves the pair facing one another with their bills crossed and pointing downwards, while they shuffle around in circles before copulating.
Gestation: The male incubates the eggs for 63-76 days.
Litter Size: 1-2 eggs.
Young Description: Juveniles are similar to their parents but smaller.
Chicks are born with a similar but softer version of the adults plumage.
Eggs are 105-113 x 68-76cm and weigh and average of 301 g.
Nest: The nest is usually made in a natural cavity or in a self dug burrow. They prefer to use older burrows that have plenty of foliage covering the entrance. About 2 weeks before the eggs are laid the male begins to build a nest. He bring sin plant matter, particularly moss, lichens and grass. If the birds produce a second or replacement clutch they usually change the nest site.
Young Care: The male incubates the eggs, after laying the second or sometimes the first egg, the female leaves the nest burrow, she remains nearby to sleep in another of the pairs burrows. Whilst the male is incubating he stays on the eggs throughout the day, but he will leave every night to eat and defecate. When he leaves the burrow he covers the entrance with sticks and leaves, however many eggs are taken by predators despite these efforts.
The chicks take 2-3 days to hatch, and the eggs will usually hatch within 5-15 days of one another. The chicks are born with the yolk sac still attached and they can feed on this for about 10 days.
Once the chicks hatch she will visit quite frequently, perhaps aiding the male with the task of brooding.
After 4 days the chicks are usually on their feet and they can walk within 5. Once they can walk they begin to explore the area beyonf#d the nest, usually during the first and last hours of daylight. They leave before their parents and return just after and they do not rely on their parents to feed them either. The chicks are able to forage and feed by themselves.
The adults do llosly guard their chicks when they are outside the nest chamber and the male contuinues to brood them when they return through the day for 2-3 weeks.
After 14-20 days the chicks become independent, but will live on their parents territory for sometime, choosing seperate burrows from their parents.
Sexual Maturity: Probably about 2 years of age.
Longevity:
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