Animalia Life

Apteryx haastii
TAXONOMY
Apteryx haastii Potts, 1872, Westland, New Zealand.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Great gray kiwi; French: Kiwi roa; German: Haastkiwi; Spanish: Kiwi Moteado Mayor.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Length 17.7–19.7 in (45–50 cm); males 2.6–5.7 lb (1.2–2.6 kg), females 3.3–7.3 lb (1.5–13.3 kg). Medium-sized, flightless, nocturnal bird with pale, mottled-gray, shaggy plumage. The body is pear-shaped with a long neck and bill. Females larger than males, and with longer bills. Larger than the little spotted kiwi and about the size of the brown kiwi.
DISTRIBUTION
Two isolated populations in the northwest of South Island, in Nelson and Westland.
HABITAT
Densest population above 2,000 ft (700 m) in wet beech forest in mountain ranges running parallel to the coast. Also in tussock grassland, podocarp, and hardwood forests, and sometimes in coastal pasture.
BEHAVIOR
Nocturnal, pairs holding territories of about 49 acres (20 ha) or more. Most displays are vocal, using high-pitched whistles that have distinct male and female versions—the male shriller than the female. Roost in dens during the day, into which some vegetation is taken by the bird to form a small mat. A kiwi may have 100 dens in its territory, using a different one each day.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Omnivorous, but eats mostly soil and litter invertebrates, such as earthworms, millipedes, and larval beetles, as well as moths, crickets, and spiders, supplemented with some fruit. Crayfish are eaten when they leave flooded streams, and some food is taken above the ground when the bird can walk out along leaning branches.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Pairs maintained for life with some indication of polyandry in lowland populations. Mostly nest in natural hollows and sheltered places, but a few nests are in short burrows dug by the pair. Some moss lichen, leaves, and twigs are gathered to form a thick nest. Most clutches are composed of one egg, but two eggs have been reported. Both sexes incubate, usually the male by day and the female by night. The incubation period is not known.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered, declining in lowland forests and vulnerable to traps set for possums and to attacks by dogs.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

Other popular Animals