Okarito Brown Kiwi
Apteryx rowi
A large, dark grayish brown kiwi with brownish streaking, often showing white patches on face. Restricted to native forest near Okarito in New Zealand, with small populations on predator-free Mana, Blumine, and Motuara islands. Often heard at night foraging as it sniffs loudly, tapping the ground for invertebrates. Male call is a series of clear rising whistles. Female call is a harsh throaty wail. Both sexes repeat their call many times, and sometimes call simultaneously. Could be confused with Weka by voice and shape; look for the kiwi’s much longer bill and lack of tail, and listen for its multisyllabic call.
Taxonomy
The Okarito kiwi is a monotypic species, i.e. there are no recognised subspecies. The genus name Apteryx stems from the Greek "without wings". Originally assumed to be the same species as the Southern brown kiwi A. australis, DNA testing shows that the possible split off from this species was 8.2 million years ago, and the split from their closest relatives, the Northern Island brown kiwi A. mantelli was around 6.2 million years ago. This bird is a ratite and has similarities to the others (emu, ostrich, rhea, cassowary). Its sternum has no keel, its wings are minimal, and it has no preen gland. Its palate is also distinctive, and its feathers have no barbules or aftershaft. Other features that are similar to only the other kiwi is a weak gizzard and no tail, only a pygostyle.
- Scientific name
- Apteryx rowi
- Authority
- Tennyson, Palma, Robertson, HA, Worthy & Gill, BJ, 2003
- Order
- Apterygiformes
- Family
- Apterygidae
- Genus
- Apteryx
Range and habitat
The Okarito brown kiwi lives in the Okarito forest on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. On 29 June 2010, three breeding pairs were released onto Blumine Island as part of a breeding programme. A new population was established in the Omoeroa Ranges near Fox Glacier in late 2018. In 2021 signs of Rowi were detected in Ballyhooly Bush, remnant mataī forest on the Lower Whataroa River flats, 24 km from Ōkārito forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
The Okarito kiwi is currently classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to habitat loss and predation by introduced stoats. Conservation efforts such as Operation Nest Egg and the stoat control regime have been partially successful in restoring the rowi population. However, the rowi is still in a fragile stage of existence. Predation, mainly from imported animals such as stoats, is still the biggest threat to the rowi. The South Okarito Forest was designated a kiwi sanctuary in 2000.<p>The West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef village operates a conservation programme as part of Operation Nest Egg. Eggs at risk of predation are removed, the chicks hatched in captivity, raised in a natural predator-free environment until old enough to fend for themselves, and then returned to the wild. The operation opened in 2010 and has been responsible for raising the wild population of rowi from just 165 ageing adults in the 1990s to 600 as of 2019[update].[14] Surveys have ensured that there is no noticeable difference in behaviour between such birds and rowi growing up fully in the wild. The Wildlife Centre is the only place in New Zealand where one can see rowi in a nocturnal walkthrough area.[15]
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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