Kiwi starve to death in Northland drought

Dargaville and Districts News

NOT ROAST: This eight-day old Kiwi chick was found roasting in the hot sun on a walkway in Northland. If Robert Webb from the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery centre had not come to its rescue, it would have died.

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Northland's drought is having devastating effects for the local Kiwi population.

"The weather is playing havoc with our Kiwi," says Robert Webb of the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery centre.

A Kiwi's diet consists mainly of worms, spiders, bugs and grubs, but because the ground has dried out Kiwi are having great difficulty poking their beaks through it to find anything.

"They're dying from starvation and dehydration."

Mr Webb says he has recovered seven dead Kiwi in the last month. All died from dehydration or starvation.

He says Kiwi - which are nocturnal - are coming out during the day to find food, "and they're dying in the sun's hot rays".

Just the other day Mr Webb rescued a Kiwi chick which was found in the middle of the day, cooking in the hot sun on a walkway on Northland's west coast.

"If he had not been found he would have died."

The eight-day old chick was taken into the recovery centre weighing just 231g, but has been doing very well and now weighs 293g.

Whangarei Department of Conservation Kiwi ranger Megan Topia says that the dry ground is making it harder for Kiwi chicks to find food. This made them vulnerable for a longer period of time as they would take longer to put on weight.

"Kiwi are very vulnerable until they're 1.2 kilos in weight, this normally takes them six months to gain, but will take longer with the drought," she says.

It would also appear the drought is discouraging Kiwi from nesting.

"We have noticed that only a small percentage of Kiwi are laying their second nest."

Ms Topia explained females needed feeding time, so if they were having trouble finding food, that could be why they hadn't started their second nest.

"But it is too soon to determine whether there are any trends," she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News