1. Little Spotted Kiwi
By
Ben

2. Common & Scientific Name
• Common name – Little Spotted Kiwi
• Scientific name – Apteryx Owenii
• Apteryx means without wings
• Owenii refers to English biologist, Sir Richard
Owen (1804-1892)

4. Description
• Smallest species of kiwi
• Light grey in colour
• Strong, heavy legs and claws
• Nostrils at the end of their beak give them a
good sense of smell

6. Lifecycle
• Because kiwi have little or no defence against
predators, they cannot survive living on NZ’s
mainland
• Kiwi live life on the ground so not only are
kiwi chicks at risk but also their eggs
• Kiwis live a long life and can reach the age of
30

7. Diet
• Mainly worms, spiders, bugs, caterpillars &
grubs
• They also eat some berries
• The kiwi digs into the ground with its talons
and shoves its long beak down into the soft
ground

8. Habitat
• Kiwi live mainly in native forest
• Sleeps in burrows during the day
• Becomes active at night to search the forest
floor for food

9. Why is kiwi endangered?
• Kiwi live in the forest which is also home to its
predators
• Was hunted by maori for its feathers
• Civilisation of man has caused loss of natural
habitat by clearing forest
• This also decreases food sources
• The introduction of cats, dogs and stoats has
made a huge impact on the decrease of kiwi
population

10. Predators
• Cats, pigs, rats, stoats and dogs

11. Defence Mechanisms
• The kiwi are fast and quiet runners
• Are difficult to spot in the wild
• But they lack any great defence against their
predators

12. Department of Conservation (DOC)
• The Department of Conservation was formed
in 1987
• Land under its control is protected
• DOC works to preserve natural heritage
including saving native threatened species
and managing threats like pests and weeds

13. How does DOC help Kiwi
• The Department of Conservation set up a
“kiwi recovery plan” to try to stop the
extinction of kiwi
• They have put the Little Spotted Kiwi onto
offshore islands which are free of their
predators
• A single location is at risk of being wiped out
by disease or some accident of nature

15. Protection Laws
• All species of kiwi are endangered and are
completely protected under NZ law which is
enforced by DOC
• This means that kiwi cannot be hunted at any
time

16. Population
• Thought to be about 1500 and growing
• Without moving the little spotted kiwi to
offshore islands they would now be exinct
• A thousand years ago kiwi numbered in the
millions, now only in the hundreds

17. Threats
• Predators continue to thrive
• Kiwi are flightless so always at risk
• Can only live fenced off or on islands that are
free of their predators

18. References
• Department of Conservation
• www.doc.govt.nz
• BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust
• www.savethekiwi.org.nz
• New Zealand Birds
• www.nzbirds.com