Kiwi Counting



The Little Spotted Kiwi

One of the most wonderful activities I have volunteered to do in Zealandia Eco Sanctuary is kiwi counting. Each year between January and April two pair of volunteers are sent in to the valley an hour after dusk to specific spots. One is high up on the eastern side of the valley which involves a steep walk and the other is on the western side on top of a viewing tower and is easier to reach.

Kiwi counting is rather like blind dating with other types who give their time freely to support the Sanctuary - we are paired up by the organiser of the roster and we meet up on the night. In earlier times when there were less people involved we could take a family member or a friend and it was a great way to introduce people to the wonder of what was happening in our own back yard.

Kiwi have poor sight. They have whiskers to help them sense their environment and a long sensitive beak with nostrils on the end. they often use their beak as a third leg for balance as they potter along in search of grubs and worms.

We have to be ensconced on site an hour after dusk. Then the magic starts. As the light fades the sounds of the day birds slowly diminish. There is a short period of quiet then the haunting calls of the ruru (owl) and the little spotted kiwi are heard echoing through the valley. Nowadays with the increase of kaka (North Island parrot), this quiet period may not be quite so quiet. They are noisy and active during the day and are reluctant to go to bed at night. Their calls, chatters and arguments may continue on till 10pm or sometimes midnight.

When we hear a kiwi call we note the direction of the call using a compass. Smart phones come in handy here, though I usually check with a real compass to make sure all is working properly. We make a note of the time of the call, whether it is male or female and estimate how far away the call sounds.

In the early days - eight to ten years ago - hearing seven or eight calls was a very good night. Now we feel disappointed if we get less than twenty. Now extinct on the mainland for over one hundred years the little spotted kiwi are only found in sanctuaries and off shore islands. In fact we are very lucky to have them still around as they have found through DNA testing that all the birds now alive have come from five ancestors - and only two of them female. These five birds were placed on Kapiti Island near Wellington in 1910 where they were protected from mammals. Slowly their numbers grew and now we have around two thousand of these charming flightless little birds.


Young kiwi are born fully feathered


The information garnered is collated by Zealandia staff and is used to figure out kiwi territories and to estimate numbers.

We listen for an hour, then pack up and walk out through the valley. Very often our paths will cross with that of a kiwi and we will pause and watch as it goes about the business of probing the ground with its long beak for worms. They are usually very intent on what they are doing and are not disturbed by us. Recently we saw a newly hatched chick foraging away. After living off egg yoke remnants, they become independent after a week or so and have little input from their parents. They are born fully feathered and ready to go out in the world.



Young little spotted kiwi are left to their own devices early on, making them very vulnerable to predators. In fact they can only survive in a protected environment

I think one of the delights of living in Wellington is the fact I can be in the bush and surrounded by nature ten minutes from the central city. I almost get to see a kiwi a week. Most people never see them in the wild. I am very very lucky.



Kiwi are more furry than feathery



Check this link to hear the sounds of the little spotted kiwi
The little spotted kiwi