New kiwi chick at Nelson Lakes
February 1, 2007
The Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project's kiwi population has a new arrival – a kiwi chick thought to be around three weeks old.
It is the second kiwi chick known to have hatched in the Rotoiti project area in Nelson Lakes National Park since great spotted kiwi/roa were first moved there nearly three years ago to re-establish kiwi in the area as part of Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi.
The first kiwi chick was found in May last year when it was a few months old. That chick, which has been named Rito, is still with its parents, Kahurangi, the male, and Awaroa.
The second chick found on Wednesday (24 January) last week is the offspring of Tata, the male, and Wainui. The sex of the chick and that of Rito is not yet known as they are still too young for it to be determined. Manawhenua ki Mohua, the iwi of Golden Bay where the adult kiwi came from, will be asked to name the new chick.
Department of Conservation Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project ranger Andrew Taylor, who was one of those who found the chick, said DOC staff were delighted with the find and it was a further indication that a breeding kiwi population could be re-established successfully in the Rotoiti project area.
"Breeding is a good sign the kiwi have settled into their new home. We still hope we might find another chick as another pair have showed signs of incubating an egg this breeding season, the male having stayed stationary for long enough. We will be looking to see if we can find a chick with that pair.”
The Rotoiti recovery project's kiwi population currently stands at 15 adults and two chicks. The population was founded with nine adult great spotted kiwi taken there from the Gouland Downs area of Kahurangi National Park in May 2004. One of those kiwi, a female named Rameka, later drowned. A further seven adult kiwi were moved to Rotoiti from Gouland Downs in May last year to create a more robust founder population.
So far, the only known breeding has been by kiwi that were among the first to be moved to the Rotoiti area.
Mr Taylor said the kiwi moved last year could be expected to need more time to adjust to the move and new surroundings before breeding.
The Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project is restoring around 5000 hectares of honeydew beech forest through an extensive predator control programme. A goal of the project is to reintroduce species that have disappeared from the area and great spotted kiwi is the first species to be reintroduced. It is also a goal of Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi to increase the number of places where kiwi live.
