Great spotted kiwi/roroa (Apteryx maxima) are rugged mountaineers with soft, mottled grey-brown plumage.
The great spotted kiwi is the tallest kiwi species, at about 45 centimetres tall.
Today, they are found in four discrete natural populations: northwest Nelson, the Paparoa Range, Westport, and near Arthur’s Pass. Birds have also been transferred to Lake Rotoiti mainland island in the Nelson Lakes National Park.
It was once thought that great spotted kiwi have been in part protected by the high altitudes they live in, but there is now ample evidence that stoats, cats, and ferrets are present in many parts of the roroa range. Recent research also shows that roroa occur at low densities across wide landscapes, making monitoring and predator trapping challenging. Thus, large-scale aerial predator control is an ideal management option for the recovery of roroa.
Population status
All population numbers quoted are based on 2015 estimates unless otherwise stated.
Less is known about great spotted kiwi populations than the other kiwi species as research efforts were instead concentrated on species that are in serious trouble such as rowi and Haast tokoeka. Recent studies have shed light on roroa distribution, breeding, and behaviour which helps us understand the best methods to encourage population recovery.
Roroa were thought to be relatively less threatened because they lived in upland areas, where they were suspected to interact less with introduced predators, and often in national parks, away from the threat of dogs. However, just like the other species of kiwi, roroa populations are declining in areas without managed predator control. In areas that have intensive predator trapping and aerial operations, roroa populations are seeing a slight increase in population (i.e. Gouland Downs, Heaphy, and Hurunui).
Because of these threats, great spotted kiwi are classified by the Department of Conservation (DOC) as ‘threatened (nationally vulnerable)’.
Some birds are also killed by cars on roads in Arthur’s Pass and in the Buller gorge and one was killed by a train, but these deaths are relatively small in number.
Great spotted kiwi began to have active management in 2007/08 as the first Operation Nest Egg chicks were produced and in 2014 through landscape scale aerial operations. Community-led initiatives are also creating predator-managed spaces in Kahurangi National Park, the Paparoa Range, and Arthur’s Pass. Of the estimated population of 14,800 birds, 12.6% are under active management. Despite this, the taxa is predicted to decline by 1.6% over the next 15 years.
The table below shows the estimated great spotted kiwi population in 2008 and 2015, and what it could be in 15 years time.
Family dynamics
Breeding pairs
As with other kiwi species, great spotted kiwi pairs have only one mate at a time. The birds also generally mate for life, though divorces do sometimes happen.
Eggs & clutches
Great spotted kiwi typically have just one egg in a clutch, but can occasionally have two clutches in one season.
Incubation
Incubation is shared more or less equally between the parents. Males do a little more as they incubate during the day and share the night roster with the female. This allows both birds to feed. Both parents are often in the nest at the same time.
Chicks
Great spotted kiwi do not feed their chick. Young birds stay in their parents’ territories for a year or more, either with or close to the adults. This is different to little spotted kiwi where the chicks are completely independent at less than two months of age.
Operation Nest Egg
Great spotted kiwi were brought into Operation Nest Egg in the 2007/08 season. Several small-scale Operation Nest Egg projects are now under way, with eggs and chicks sourced from northwest Nelson, the Hawdon Valley (Canterbury) and the Paparoa Range populations:
- Northwest Nelson birds are released into the Rotoiti mainland island, to build up the genetic diversity of that population.
- Of the birds sourced from the Hawdon Valley, some were placed in the Nina Valley, near Lewis Pass, to establish a new great spotted kiwi population.
- Paparoa birds are released back into their source site after a stay in the specially built kiwi crèche.
In most cases, eggs are taken from great spotted kiwi burrows. However, because burrows are often deep, sometimes eggs cannot be easily reached and newly hatched chicks are taken instead. DOC prefers to take eggs as this can prompt the parents to re-nest and lay further eggs, which boosts the population more quickly.
However, the recovery of great spotted kiwi aims to be achieved through predator management more than through Operation Nest Egg (due to the abovementioned lower population densities).
Kōhanga kiwi
No formal kōhanga kiwi populations exist for great spotted kiwi.
Preferred habitat
Great spotted kiwi live in forested mountains from sea level to 1,500 metres but mainly in the subalpine zone of 700-1,100 metres. They use a wide variety of habitats, including tussock grasslands, beech forests, podocarp/hardwood forests, and scrub.
Learn more about kiwi
Kiwi species
All kiwi are the same, right? Wrong. There are actually five different species of kiwi, all with their own unique features.
Threats to kiwi
The national kiwi population is under attack from many different threats, including predators, loss of habitat, and fragmentation of species.
Where to see kiwi
Many facilities around New Zealand are home to kiwi, plus there are places where, if you're lucky, you could see one in the wild too.
How you can help
Many hands make light work. Keen to join the mission to save the kiwi? Here are some ways you can help.
Protect kiwi
For kiwi to thrive, we all need to work together. Find out what you can do to help save the kiwi, wherever in Aotearoa you happen to be.
Fundraise
To continuing saving the kiwi, conservation groups need funding. Support the mission by making a donation, setting up a fundraising project, or engaging with other fundraising initiatives.
Donate
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