Kiwi nesting has begun for the season – with the first nests confirmed in two areas.
Kiwi Coast assists with the remote monitoring of 30 out of the estimated 10,000+ wild Northland brown kiwi across the region. These kiwi wear small leg-fitted radio transmitters that emit data about their activity, location and breeding. Telemetry equipment is used to pick up the data remotely, sometimes over 1km away.
Kiwi Coast Kiwi Monitor, Todd Hamilton has picked up data from 11 of these monitored kiwi (4 in Parua bay, 7 at Purua) which confirms that nesting is now well underway.
Todd reports “One of these kiwi is Chookie, who lives in a pine forest in the Owhiwa Landcare area, near Parua Bay. He’s a very successful nester helping to rebuild the small kiwi population there. His transmitter data shows that he began nesting on July 22nd, with his nightly activity levels dropping from around 11 hours a night, right down to just 2.5 as he stays home to keep the egg/s warm and safe.
He’ll continue his sole-incubation duty for the next couple of months, with a first egg possibly hatching around mid-September, all things going to plan. Interestingly, he’s nesting in the base of the same hollow puriri that he nested in back in 2001.”
Kiwi incubate their eggs for longer than almost any other bird, averaging 70 nights of egg warming, turning, and protecting before the chicks hatch.
In the same pine forest, not too far away from Chookie, Humphries the kiwi is nesting in a pampas bush – which is fairly common in the Whangārei area.
Todd continued “Humphries’ transmitter data from July 27 showed that he’d been nesting for 16 days and had reduced his activity right down to 2 hours, so his chicks should hatch around the same time as Chookie’s. Humphries is only a second-time nester though – and new Dad’s don’t always get it right – so it will be interesting to see how he goes.”
Incubation duties are not shared by Northland brown kiwi parents – with the mum departing the nesting burrow after depositing her large egg(s) – fair enough too, since she has just laid the biggest egg per body size of any bird in the world!
Kiwi eggs are huge. On average they weigh in around 440gm which is approximately 20% of the average weight of an adult female Northland brown kiwi.
Another monitored kiwi who has begun nesting is known as ’64’. He is nesting in a very old rotten log in the Purua Reserve. Unusually for a nesting kiwi, his activity level is currently at 7 hours a night, which suggests that his nest is failing.
Kiwi are pretty cunning when it comes to nesting.
Nesting burrows are usually smaller than their day roosting burrows – and most are well hidden. Some kiwi Dad’s go to extraordinary lengths to disguise their nests, spending 20 minutes or more placing sticks and foliage across the nest entrance when he leaves to feed for the night. He also pulls foliage and sticks into the nest when he returns to protect the entrance.
Todd finished by saying “We’ll need to be as patient as these kiwi Dad’s over the next 2 – 3 months to see how their nesting progresses. Hopefully the hard work of these kiwi Dad’s will pay off and we’ll soon have some new kiwi chicks hatching.”
If you’d like to receive monthly updates on Chookie and other monitored kiwi, join Kiwi Coast’s ‘Follow a Kiwi’ sponsorship program.
