Little Spotted Kiwi

Apteryx owenii

New Zealand’s smallest kiwi species. Light grayish brown with white horizontal banding or “spotting” along the length of the body. Restricted to offshore predator-free island sanctuaries and to the mainland Zealandia sanctuary in Wellington. More often heard than seen, including loud sniffling as it forages for invertebrates. Male produces a series of burry, rising high-pitched whistles. Female has a lower ascending burry whistle. Both sexes repeat their call many times, often duetting. 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.

识别特征

The little spotted kiwi has a length of 35 to 45 cm (14–18 in) and the weight of the male is 0.88 to 1.36 kg (1 lb 15 oz – 3 lb 0 oz) and the female weighs 1 to 1.95 kg (2+1⁄4–4+1⁄4 lb), making it the smallest species of kiwi. Their feathers are pale-mottled grey, with fine white mottling, and are shaggy looking. They lack aftershafts and barbules. They have large vibrissae feathers around the gape. They lack a tail, but have a small pygostyle. Their bill is ivory and long and their legs are pale.

分类信息

The little spotted kiwi is a ratite and belongs to the Apterygiformes order, and the Apterygidae family. The genus name Apteryx means 'without wings' and the species is named owenii after Sir Richard Owen. Only the nominate subspecies A. o. owenii survives. The subspecies A. o. iredalei from the North Island became extinct in the late 19th century; its status as a subspecies is not universally accepted as valid though.<p>The little spotted kiwi was first described in 1847 by John Gould from a specimen obtained by Frederick Strange and sent to England. The locality is not recorded but it probably came from Nelson or Marlborough. In 1873, Henry Potts published an account of its habitats, and about this time specimens were collected in South Westland and sent to England.

学名
Apteryx owenii
命名信息
Gould, 1847
Apterygiformes
Apterygidae
Apteryx

分布与栖息地

Studies on Kapiti Island show that they prefer flax, seral, and older forest habitats. Lower numbers are found in rough grassland and scrub, indicating that either they prefer other habitats or they simply need a larger territory to support themselves in these areas.

迁徙
Resident species

行为

Migration pattern: Resident species.

保护状况

Population trend: rising.

种群趋势
rising

照片

分布

鸟叫声

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