Okarito Brown Kiwi Apteryx rowi Scientific name definitions

c. 55 cm; male 1575–2250 g, female 1950–3570 g. A medium-sized kiwi, with comparatively short bill (average bill length 9·5 cm for males, 12·5 cm for females). Plumage mostly brown, with slightly striped body (feathers blackish at base, but distal parts buff with tawny tips, edges black); head, neck and belly noticeably grey  , wingpads with some transverse barring; most individuals have some white feathering on head, especially around eyes; iris dark; bill  pink, facial bristles short; legs and feet pink or pale brown. Differs from <em>A. australis</em> mainly in having greyer head and belly, barred outer wing, and shorter, pink (never creamy or horn-coloured) bill. Sexes similar, male slightly shorter-billed than female. Juvenile  resembles adult, but smaller.

• Okarito Brown x Little Spotted Kiwi (hybrid) Apteryx rowi x owenii

Okarito Forest (Okarito R S to Waiho R), in C part of W coast of South I, in New Zealand.

Favours dense temperate forest, mainly coastal podocarp–hardwood forest.

Loud shrill calls given at night.

Season protracted, from Jun to Mar. Monogamous; most individuals pair for life. Nest in concealed burrow  excavated previously by the birds themselves, or sometimes in natural cavity, on or very close to ground, with some softer material placed in nest-chamber; different nest site  used for replacement or repeat clutches. Female usually lays 1 egg, occasionally up to 3 eggs, in a season, egg plain white to greenish-white; incubation by both sexes; chick self-sufficient as soon as it hatches; juveniles often stay with family group for years. Average longevity within the genus of c. 80 years, maximum probably up to c. 100 years.

VULNERABLE. Restricted-range species: present in South Island of New Zealand EBA. Confined to a small area in and around Okarito Forest, on CW coast of South I, where population estimated at c. 300 individuals in 2000 and c. 375 in 2011; increasing as a result of simple human intervention. Since population has exceeded 250 mature birds for over five years, its conservation status was changed from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2017 BirdLife International (2017) Species factsheet: Apteryx rowi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 29/12/2017. . Monitoring  and management of the population are intensive and nationally co-ordinated. Predation, mainly by introduced animals such as possums (Phalangeriformes) and stoats (Mustela erminea), as well as domesticated dogs and cats, remains a problem, despite a stoat-control programme. In 2010, three breeding pairs were released on Blumine  , a 400-ha predator-free island in Queen Charlotte Sound (at NE tip of South I), as part of a breeding programme. In addition, eggs and chicks are removed from Okarito Forest and taken to an incubation facility at nearby West Coast Wildlife Centre (in Franz Josef), where more than 90% of fertile eggs hatch successfully (hatching success in the wild can be as low as 5%); the hatchlings are kept in an enclosure until they have developed their nocturnal instincts, and are then released on Blumine I, where the young birds stay until big enough to defend themselves against predators, at which point they are returned to Okarito. Studies of ancient DNA have revealed that, in prehuman times, this kiwi was far more widespread up W coast of South I, and present even in lower half of North I. Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary, covering 11,000 ha of protected forest, was set up in 2000 specifically for the conservation of this species.