{"id":299264,"date":"2026-02-24T05:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T05:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/299264\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T05:40:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T05:40:11","slug":"daddy-kiwi-minds-cosy-nursery-in-kawau-island-garden-shed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/299264\/","title":{"rendered":"Daddy kiwi minds cosy nursery in Kawau Island garden shed"},"content":{"rendered":"

A surprise houseguest has been found nesting in a Kawau Island garden shed \u2013 a North Island brown kiwi.<\/p>\n

Tucked away in a corner, the kiwi had fashioned a cosy nursery out of an eclectic collection of plastic, paper, cardboard and other bits and bobs.<\/p>\n

An egg had been laid by a mum before dad took over for the 75 to 80-day incubation period. <\/p>\n

For weeks, the devoted father was spotted slipping out under the cover of darkness to feed, then quietly returning home to resume his devoted vigil.<\/p>\n

Even a curious weka popped by to inspect the unusual setup.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A weka visiting a North Island brown kiwi’s nest in a garden shed on Kawau Island. (Source: Auckland Council) (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

After concerns were raised around the egg’s progress, a small team of experts from Auckland Zoo and Auckland Council paid a visit while the kiwi was away. The team confirmed the egg had developed to around 55 days but was now cold and no longer viable.<\/p>\n

“It’s always disappointing when an egg doesn\u2019t make it, especially when dad has put in such a monumental effort,” the council’s principal specialist for natural environment operations Lisa Tolich said.<\/p>\n

“But every nesting attempt tells us something important about how our kiwi are doing and reminds us of just how resilient and determined our kiwi are.”<\/p>\n

While it was a bittersweet ending for the family, the kiwi had since been picked up on camera alive and well. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A kiwi egg in a nest on Kawau Island. (Source: Auckland Council) (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

A survey carried out between January and March 2025 revealed 56 kiwi on Kawau Island \u2013 with 51 adults handled. No chicks or juveniles had been found.<\/p>\n

“That absence of young birds suggests breeding success has been low in recent years,” Tolich said.<\/p>\n

“Dry conditions, habitat degradation and heavy browsing of undergrowth by wallabies are likely reducing food availability and putting pressure on adults.”<\/p>\n

Genetic testing also showed Kawau kiwi had very low genetic diversity, tracing back to a small founding population introduced in the 1860s. While unique traits remained, long-term resilience would rely on careful habitat restoration, wallaby control and managed genetic exchange.<\/p>\n

What to do if you find a kiwi nesting on your property<\/p>\n

Do not disturb \u2013 if the bird is sitting on eggs, don\u2019t move the nest, the egg or the bird<\/p>\n

Keep it safe \u2013 make sure cats and dogs can\u2019t disturb it<\/p>\n

Consider having a backyard trap<\/p>\n

Report it to the Department of Conservation. They may even want to monitor the bird \u2013 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468)<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t try to handle, feed (including leaving out food) or move the bird.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A surprise houseguest has been found nesting in a Kawau Island garden shed \u2013 a North Island brown…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[50,111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":["post-299264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animals","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}