Contents

North Island brown kiwi

North Island brown kiwi
North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)
Male song
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Infraclass:	Palaeognathae
Order:	Apterygiformes
Family:	Apterygidae
Genus:	Apteryx
Species:	A. mantelli
Binomial name
Apteryx mantelli Bartlett, AD, 1852[2]
The distribution of North Island brown kiwi
Synonyms
Apteryx australis var. mantelli (Bartlett 1852) Finsch 1872[3][4] Apteryx australis mantelli (Bartlett 1852) Checklist Committee 1953 Apteryx bulleri Sharpe 1888 Apteryx mantelli mantelli Bartlett 1852 Apteryx mantelli novaezelandiae (Lesson 1828) Apteryx australis novaezealandiae (Lesson 1828) Dromiceius novaezelandiae Lesson 1828 nomen nudum

The North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli; Apteryx australisorApteryx bulleri^[5] as before 2000, still used in some sources) is a species of kiwi that is widespread in the northern two-thirds of the North IslandofNew Zealand and, with about 35,000 remaining,^[2] it is the most common kiwi. It holds the world record for laying the largest eggs relative to its body size.^[6]

The genome of Apteryx mantelli was sequenced in 2015.^[7]

Until 2000, the brown kiwi (then Apteryx australis) was thought to include the rowi and the tokoeka, in addition to the North Island brown kiwi. However using genetic codes from each of the above it was determined that the tokoeka was a separate species, it took the Apteryx australis name, leaving the brown kiwi with its current Apteryx mantelli name. Soon after, in 1998, more genetic tests were done with the rowi and it was determined that it (the rowi) was a separate species (Apteryx rowi). In 2004 an injured bird was found with streaked white around the head and identified by Massey University.^[8] The white feathering is likely due to a rarely seen genetic variation sometimes described as a partial albino. Few documented cases exist with only a painting of one found in Ōtorohanga in the 18th century and a specimen in the Canterbury Museum. The injured bird recovered and was introduced into a breeding programme.

The brown kiwi was first described as Apteryx australisbyAbraham Dee Bartlett, in 1813, based on a specimen from Dusky Sound, South Island, New Zealand.^[9] This is a monotypic species.^[10]

Brown kiwi are found in a number of parts of the North Island, including Northland, Coromandel Peninsula, the eastern North Island, Aroha Island, Little Barrier Island, Kawau Island, Ponui Island, and the Whanganui Region. The North Island brown kiwi has demonstrated a remarkable resilience: it has adapted to live on scrub-like farm land, exotic pine plantations, and native forests, but it prefers dense sub-tropical and temperate forest.^[12]

Females stand about 40 cm (16 in) high and weigh about 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) the males about 2.2 kg (4.9 lb). The plumage is streaky red-brown and spiky. The North Island brown kiwi is the only species of kiwi found internationally in zoos.^{[citation needed]}

These kiwi, like all kiwi, feed on invertebrates. They have 2–3 clutches a year with 2 eggs in each clutch. Chicks are fully feathered at hatching and are precocial, being able to leave the nest and fend for themselves within a week.^[12]

The North Island brown kiwi is Vulnerable, per the IUCN Red List,^[1] with the major threat coming from predators, such as dogs, cats, and stoat (Mustela erminea). 94% of chicks die before breeding in areas where mammalian pest control is not carried out.^[12] It has an occurrence range of 38,400 km² (14,800 sq mi), with a population, estimated in 2000, of 35,000.^[2]

In 1996 there were around 35,000 North Island Brown Kiwis and in 2006 there were 20,000.^[13]

Nationwide studies show that on average only 5 percent of kiwi chicks survive to adulthood. However, in areas under active pest management, survival rates for North Island brown kiwi can be far higher. For example, prior to a joint 1080 poison operation undertaken by DOC and the Animal Health BoardinTongariro Forest in 2006, 32 kiwi chicks were radio-tagged. 57% of the radio-tagged chicks survived to adulthood. Thanks to ongoing pest control, the adult kiwi population at Tongariro has almost doubled since 1998.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, kiwi were released into Remutaka Forest Park by the Remutaka Conservation Trusts. As of 2024, the population has reached 300 individuals in the park and surrounding areas, extending to Upper Hutt and Whitemans Valley.^[14]

In 2022, 11 North Island Brown Kiwi were released on Wellington's South Coast after a 100 year absence.^[15] Fifty more kiwi were released into the hills of Wellington in May 2023.^[16]

• Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Kiwis". In Hutchins, Michael (ed.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 89–92. ISBN 978-0-7876-5784-0.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Apteryx mantelli.

• ARKive - images and movies of the North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)
• Save the Kiwi (2008). "Population status of the North Island Brown Kiwi". Save the Kiwi. Archived from the original on 26 May 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2009.
• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• Video of North Island Brown Kiwi feeding in full daylight
• Taranaki Kiwi Trust

New Zealand