Kiwi chick kicks its way into the world

Kiwi chick kicks its way into the world

Kicking through the bottom of an egg is a tiring entry into the world for a kiwi and could have cost a Coromandel chick its life.

Luckily the chick from Moehau, at the top of the Coromandel Peninsula, had been dropped off at Kiwi Encounter hatchery at Rainbow Springs in Rotorua, and successfully hatched with a little bit of last minute help.

Assistant Kiwi Husbandry Manager Emma Bean says, "This occasionally happens, that the chick tries to come out the wrong way. Kiwi use their strong legs to push their way out of the egg, instead of coming out head first through the blunt end of the egg, this chick tried to come out legs first out the pointy end.

"This chick had worn itself out trying to hatch legs first so we needed to give it a helping hand at the very end of the hatch. In the wild, the dad may have been able to provide some sort of assistance, but in reality this chick may have not have made it."

In the wild there is a 50% hatch success but at Kiwi Encounter there is a 95% hatch success each season, which is another reason why O.N.E. (Operation Nest Egg) can really help turn kiwi population numbers around from a 2% decrease to a 2% increase.

Kiwi Encounter is the largest hatchery of Brown kiwi and crucial in kiwi conservation. This 2016/17 hatch season, which is drawing to a close, 124 kiwi chicks have hatched from around the North Island.

"We’ve got 1 more egg yet to hatch, and more eggs due to arrive during the week - so it’s been a busy season. The last couple of years only 100 chicks have hatched each season at Rainbow Springs and we have attributed this to the long dry summers," Emma says.

"Last winter was a mild one and we’ve had a soggy summer, which has been great for young kiwi as invertebrates - their food source - are closer to the surface and make for easier pickings. So whilst this summer’s weather may have affected some of your plans, you can be comforted by the fact that it’s been great for kiwi."

Once hatched the chicks stay at Kiwi Encounter until they are a healthy ‘stoat proof’ weight of 1kg. They are then released back to their home in the wild where they have a 65% survival rate, instead of just 5% if they were left to hatch in a non-predator controlled environment in their natural habitat.

The chick’s dad’s name is ‘Sky’, and this is his second chick. The chick weighed 357g when it hatched on March 24.

ENDS

To donate, or sponsor a kiwi, visit rainbowsprings.co.nz/donate

Rainbow Springs Nature Park

Rainbow Springs Nature Park is an icon of New Zealand tourism, and has been open since 1932. Set in acres of Rotorua parkland, Rainbow Springs has a strong conservation drive and is a breeding centre for endangered native species like the kiwi and tuatara. Features of the award-winning tourist attraction include New Zealand’s only “open to view” kiwi hatchery, Kiwi Encounter, the Big Splash water ride, free-flight bird show and a range of wildlife including trout, tuatara and native birds. Rainbow Springs is part of Ngāi Tahu Tourism's tourism portfolio.

Ngāi Tahu Tourism

Ngāi Tahu Tourism is one of the largest tourism operators in Aotearoa, hosting more than one million customers every year across its 11 iconic businesses: Rainbow Springs, Shotover Jet, Guided Walks New Zealand, Dart River, Dart Stables, Franz Josef Glacier Guides, Glacier Hot Pools, Hukafalls Jet, Agrodome, Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters and Earth & Sky (joint venture).

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