Kiwi chick progresses<\/p>\n
Young bird doubles its weight<\/p>\n
\u201cHappy event\u201d expected<\/p>\n
Hawke\u2019s Bay Herald-Tribune, January 4, 1938<\/p>\n
Since it was brought to the Hawke\u2019s Bay Acclimatisation Society\u2019s farm at Greenmeadows about three weeks ago, a kiwi chick, which was found by a shepherd at the back of Kotemaori, near Mohaka, has more than doubled its weight.<\/p>\n
When the chick was brought to the society\u2019s office in Napier, it was only a few days old and weighed six ounces.<\/p>\n
When it was weighed this morning, it scaled 14 oz.<\/p>\n
The society\u2019s curator, Mr F. D. Robson, is very pleased with the progress made, and says the youngster is eating well.<\/p>\n
It will take from 18 months to two years to become fully grown. <\/p>\n
Questioned regarding a rumour that a \u201chappy event\u201d was shortly expected in the kiwi family now in captivity on the farm, Mr Robson said he felt sure the birds had mated, and they had built themselves a burrow in their run, but he did not expect there would be any eggs laid this season.<\/p>\n
However, next season he hopes a chick will hatch.<\/p>\n
He has reared kiwis from the chick stage before but has never actually seen one hatched.<\/p>\n
The kiwi, Mr Robson says, does not usually breed in captivity, but as the pair on the farm are kept in a large run as close to natural conditions as possible, he is optimistic.<\/p>\n
Kiwis are not often found in this district, although there are still quite a number around the headwaters of the Wanganui river and in other places where native bush is plentiful and unspoiled.<\/p>\n
Kiwis Plentiful<\/p>\n
Central Hawke\u2019s Bay Press, May 3, 1940<\/p>\n
Kiwis are reported to be plentiful at the back of Waverley and Waitotara, and are usually found in gorse and scrub country, where they are often attacked by dogs.<\/p>\n
Kiwis are nocturnal birds and cannot see well in the daylight, and they are therefore easy prey for dogs.<\/p>\n
At the back of Ngutuwera the birds are very plentiful and can be heard calling at night.<\/p>\n
Often after scrub fires their nests and bones are found, the destruction from this cause being fairly high.<\/p>\n
Kiwi\u2019s Nest \u2019Nursery\u2019<\/p>\n
Northern Advocate, October 3, 1949<\/p>\n
A kiwi\u2019s nest, inhabited by two adult birds and two young kiwis, has been discovered on a farm property near Whangarei.<\/p>\n
The birds, which have been identified as the small grey kiwi (Apteryx oweni), were observed for a considerable time yesterday by an amateur ornithologist.<\/p>\n
Being nocturnal in their habits, the kiwis seemed to be unaware of the presence of the observer until any noise was made.<\/p>\n
Their home was in a depression in semi-open bush.<\/p>\n
The hole in which they lived was about six feet across, and, in the manner of these peculiar flightless birds, they had dug a tunnel into the bank, where they retreated when disturbed.<\/p>\n
The family abode seemed more of a nursery than a nest.<\/p>\n
Leaf mould floor<\/p>\n
The floor was covered with leaf mould, with a few feathers and twigs but not enough to make a nest in the usual fashion.<\/p>\n
About six inches long, the young kiwis were probably only a few weeks old.<\/p>\n
Adult grey kiwis grow to a length of nineteen inches.<\/p>\n
Their plumage is grey, spotted with yellowish white, the spots forming a band.<\/p>\n
The bill of the male bird is shorter than that of the female, which is about three and a half inches long.<\/p>\n
Unlike the brown kiwi and the southern kiwi, the grey kiwi has a straight bill.<\/p>\n
The other species have slightly curved bills.<\/p>\n