Okarito Kiwi(Apteryx rowi)
Okarito kiwi are flightless birds from New Zealand. They are greyish in color, often with white patches around the face. These birds are adapted to live on the ground and have powerful legs and long curved bills. Nostrils located on the tip of the bill provide kiwi with an acute sense of smell; this helps the birds to find food as they have very poor eyesight.
Habitat
Okarito kiwi are found on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. These birds live in native Okarito forest. Their range is shown on the map adjacent as the colour black
Diet
Okarito kiwi are carnivores and feed on earthworms, larvae of beetles, moths, cicadas, spiders, crickets, and freshwater crayfish. They may also occasionally eat fallen fruit and leaves.
Breeding
Okarito kiwi are monogamous and form pairs for life. They usually breed between June and February and may produce two clutches per year. The female lays 1 egg in a nest located in the burrow and both the male and the female incubate it for 65 to 90 days. The egg is very large, as it weighs 20% of the female's weight (as in all kiwi). The chick is hatched fully feathered and is able to leave the nest to feed itself. After 2-7 weeks the young will become independent but remain with the parents for 4-5 years.
Population
According to the IUCN Red List, they are classed as Vulnerable(VU). The 2016 population is estimated to number 400-450 adults, and given that some (presumably very old) birds do not breed, the number of mature individuals is estimated to lie in the range 350-400 birds. The population has risen rapidly from 160 birds in 1995 to 400-450 adults in 2016 following intensive captive rearing of eggs and chicks to avoid predation by invasive stoats. The population of this species is considered as increasing.
Threats
The species underwent massive historic declines and disappeared from most of its former range as a result of a combination of habitat loss and predation by introduced mammals. Declines up until the 1990s were attributed to recruitment failure caused by predation of chicks and juveniles by stoats, and some adults being killed by dogs and motor vehicles. They also suffer from road collisions and from the predation of cats, dogs and introduced possums, which often enter burrows to steal eggs and chicks.
Conservation
Conservation and research actions underway
Operation Nest Egg (the removal of eggs or young chicks from the wild and rear in captivity and on Motuara Island, until they are large enough to cope with the presence of stoats), allowed the population to increase to about 200 birds by 2000. A landscape-scale stoat trapping programme in South Okarito Forest from 2001-2005 largely failed to protect chicks from stoat predation. Operation Nest Egg was reinstated, leading to the recent rapid population growth. New populations have been established on Mana and Blumine Islands, and breeding has been recorded at both of these sites. Subadult birds have been released in adjacent North Okarito, which was part of the species range until very recently, and they have started breeding there.
Conservation and research actions proposed
Carry out landscape-scale pest control at sufficient intervals at the sites that are currently unmanaged, specifically for mustelids, rats, cats and dogs. Conduct research into reasons for low productivity. Evaluate further islands for possible translocations. Intensively manage the population using the BNZONE programme to increase the population size. Undertake population modelling. Promote legislative and policy changes to protect populations and encourage high-quality advocacy at all levels. Educate and inform the public and encourage community involvement in Kiwi conservation.