Little spotted kiwis have a unique way of raising their young. The male tends to the nest during the 70-day incubation period for about 21 hours a day. The female renews interest in the young after hatching, and both parents escort the chick at night for protection. Adult kiwis do not feed their young. After hatching, the chicks feed from the yolk sac in the egg for the first few days, and afterwards they probe the forest for food, independent of their parents ( except when the parents escort the chick for protection).
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
The little spotted kiwi is the most endangered of all the kiwi species. Human destruction of habitat by logging, predation, fire, disease, and the introduction of mammal species have all contributed to the decline of kiwi poulations. Efforts to preserve the kiwi include setting aside Kaptiti Island as a reserve. Captive breeding has also been attempted, but it isn't very successful. Captive breeding of the little spotted kiwi first began in the mid-1970's; however, it was not until 1989 that the first chick was successfully reared.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened
Little spotted kiwi conservation efforts may impact logging operations, but ecosystem, research, and ecotourism benefits might be assumed to outweigh those negative effects.
Little spotted kiwis are charismatic species, conservation efforts aimed at kiwis help to protect habitat that is critical to other species and important in ecotourism.
Positive Impacts: ecotourism
Kiwis are omnivorous, eating both invertebrates and the fruit from forest trees and shrubs. The little spotted kiwi finds food on the forest floor and by probing in the soil to the full depth of its bill. Earthworms, cockchafer beetle larvae, catepillars, cranefly larvae, and spiders are the most common food sources in the little spotted kiwi's diet. Fruit off the hinau tree is also commonly consumed. Annelids make up the largest percentage of the bird's diet.
The little spotted kiwi is found on Kapiti Island and in remote forests of South Island (New Zealand)
Biogeographic Regions: australian (Native )
The little spotted kiwi lives in temperate, evergreen, broadleaf forests and shrublands. They are strictly terrestrial.
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; scrub forest
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
The little spotted kiwi mates in the early spring, mostly within the first few weeks of September. They nest in burrows on the forest floor, laying one to two egg clutches. The kiwi produces relatively few but large offspring, perhaps so that the well-developed chicks have the best possible chance to survive under bad conditions such as food shortage or unfavorable weather.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
The little spotted kiwi or little grey kiwi[2] (Apteryx owenii) is a small flightless bird in the kiwi family, Apterygidae. It is the smallest of the five kiwi species, at about 0.9 to 1.9 kg (2–4+1⁄4 lb), about the size of a bantam. It is endemic to New Zealand, and in pre-European times occurred in both main islands, but is now restricted to a number of small offshore islands, and mainland reserves protected by pest-exclusion fences.
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.[5] Only the nominate subspecies A. o. owenii survives. The subspecies A. o. iredalei from the North Island became extinct in the late 19th century;[6] its status as a subspecies is not universally accepted as valid though.[7]
The little spotted kiwi was first described in 1847 by John Gould from a specimen obtained by Frederick Strange and sent to England.[8] 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.[2]
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.[7] Their feathers are pale-mottled grey, with fine white mottling, and are shaggy looking.[9] They lack aftershafts and barbules. They have large vibrissae feathers around the gape. They lack a tail, but have a small pygostyle.[2] Their bill is ivory and long and their legs are pale.[9]
Illustration by J. G. Keulemans from a work by G. D. Rowley, 1870s
Burrow entrance, Zealandia
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.[9]
Little spotted kiwis eat grubs and other small insects that are found underground, and occasionally eat berries. Earthworms, cockchafer beetle larvae, caterpillars, cranefly larvae, and spiders are their most common foods.[10] Fruit of the hinau tree is also commonly consumed.[10] Annelids make up the largest percentage of the bird's diet.[10] Using its sharp talons and long beak, it digs into the ground and then shoves its long beak down the softened ground. As they cannot fly to get to insects or food on trees and their eyesight is very poor, they depend on a keen sense of smell, long beak and talons.[2] They are nocturnal. Little spotted kiwi call occasionally each night to advertise territory and to maintain contact with partners. Often pairs will duet. They are very territorial, and fight conspecifics with their sharp claws, resulting in many feathers on the ground.
They nest in an excavated burrow, dug by both birds and sometimes lined with plant material. Eggs are laid from July to January. The clutch size is one to two eggs (15% have 2), which are incubated by the male for 63–76 days. Chicks stay in the nest for 2–3 weeks after hatching and require feeding for 4 weeks.[2] Little spotted kiwi eggs are the largest egg relative to the size of the bird. Its egg accounts for 26 percent of its own weight—the equivalent of a human giving birth to a six-year-old child.
At the time it was described, the species was common on the western side of the South Island and in Marlborough. Then a regular trade in skins sprang up and large numbers were collected for European museums. Further, with the advance of European settlement, birds were killed by prospectors and others for food and their attendant dogs and cats took their toll. The species was extinct on the North Island by 1938 when the last four South Island birds were moved from d'Urville Island to the population that had been established on Kapiti Island.[7] After they were released on Kapiti Island, they were also moved to Red Mercury Island, Hen Island, Tiritiri Matangi Island, Chalky Island, and Long Island in the Queen Charlotte Sound. In 2000, about 20 little spotted kiwis were released into Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. This was the first time since the 19th century that little spotted kiwis could be found on the mainland of the North Island.[9] In 2015, 20 kiwis were translocated from Kapiti Island to Anchor Island.
As the smallest species of kiwi, the little spotted kiwi would be very vulnerable to the main kiwi predators like cats, dogs, and stoats, however it is now restricted to several off-shore island reserves (mainly Kapiti Island) which are mostly free of introduced predators. The little spotted kiwi's conservation status is listed as "range restricted" (by 'Save the Kiwi'), with a growing population. Formerly classified as "vulnerable" by the IUCN,[11] it was suspected to be more numerous than generally assumed. Following the evaluation of its population size, this was found to be correct, and it was consequently downlisted to "near threatened" status in 2008 as, although not rare, its small range puts it at risk. The lack of predators, apart from weka (Gallirallus australis), is important to its increasing numbers. It has an occurrence range of 31 km2 (12 sq mi), and a population of 1600 was estimated in the year 2012.[1]
The little spotted kiwi or little grey kiwi (Apteryx owenii) is a small flightless bird in the kiwi family, Apterygidae. It is the smallest of the five kiwi species, at about 0.9 to 1.9 kg (2–4+1⁄4 lb), about the size of a bantam. It is endemic to New Zealand, and in pre-European times occurred in both main islands, but is now restricted to a number of small offshore islands, and mainland reserves protected by pest-exclusion fences.
