North Island Brown Kiwi

Apteryx mantelli

Nocturnal, flightless, and has whiskers like a cat. New Zealand's fuzzy national treasure.

Population: ~26,000-26,600 individuals total (roughly 17,700 mature individuals, per most recent IUCN/BirdLife assessment); population declined 30-49% over the prior three generations (26 years) but is now considered roughly stable overall
Habitat: Native and exotic (pine) forest, scrub, regenerating bush, and rough farmland/pasture from sea level up to about 1,400 m elevation
Fun fact: The North Island brown kiwi lays one of the largest eggs relative to body size of any bird (up to ~430g), and after laying it the male alone incubates it for 74-84 days, one of the longest incubation periods of any bird.
Range: Northern two-thirds of New Zealand's North Island (Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne/Hawke's Bay, Taranaki/Whanganui), extent of occurrence ~157,000 km2, plus several offshore islands and fenced mainland sanctuaries where it has been reintroduced
Diet: Mostly invertebrates (85-95% of diet) - earthworms, beetle and moth larvae, cicadas, centipedes, spiders, crickets, and weta - supplemented with fallen fruit and leaves
Size: 0.4 m
Lifespan: 21 years

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