Two new white kiwi chicks hatch at Pukaha

Last week one of the DoC rangers who regularly monitors the kiwi at Pukaha Mount Bruce found not one, but two white kiwi in a burrow at Pukaha Mount Bruce. This brings the number of white North Island Brown kiwi to be hatched at Pukaha since 2010 to five.

The burrow the white kiwi chicks were found in belongs to the father of the three other white kiwi previously hatched at Pukaha. We know that there is a one-in-four chance that chicks produced by the pair will be white, and as kiwi partnerships have been known to last for decades it’s not completely unexpected. But it still feels like we’ve won the lottery, again!

The kiwi chicks were today given a health check by Department of Conservation and Pukaha staff who confirmed the pair were in good health. The chicks have started to feed by themselves and the decision was made that they would remain in the reserve rather than be brought into the nursery.

Having kiwi hatch and survive in the wild is a great indication that the thousands of dollars each year spent on predator control in the reserve is paying off.

Any kiwi chick hatching at Pukaha is a truly special occasion, but the white kiwi are currently unique to Pukaha.

Staff will regularly check the two chicks as their transmitters need to be re-sized regularly as they grow.

ends

© Scoop Media