Chookie is the namesake of a local landowner whose family has gone above and beyond to protect local kiwi.
A young, Northland brown male kiwi, Chookie has chosen a dog-free pine forest in Owhiwa as his home. Wild kiwi are slowly returning to this area, east of the Whangarei township, thanks to increased community-led pest control and dedicated dog ownership.
Chookie made headlines when he hatched his first chick in 2021 – the first known wild-hatched kiwi chick in the area for decades. In 2022, he did it again, successfully hatching another two chicks.
The mystery is – who is Chookie’s mate? Is she one of the scarce wild kiwi that has hung on in the area for a long, lonely time? Is she a kiwi on the move from the nearby Whangarei Heads peninsula where kiwi number in their thousands? Or is she a recently released old friend of Chookie’s from the Matakohe-Limestone Island kiwi creche?
Who is Chookie’s mate? Will he attempt a second nest this season?
You can become a kiwi sponsor and follow the life and adventures of Chookie by signing up to the Kiwi Coast ‘Follow a Kiwi’ Program. As a Follow the Kiwi Sponsor you will receive news, updates, photos and event invites FIRST!