Introducing kiwi
The kiwi shape is distinctive. Aotearoa New Zealand’s flightless, nocturnal, endemic icon is world famous for its long bill, pear-shaped body and short, powerful legs. Kiwi from locations across Aotearoa share similar characteristics – it wasn’t until the early 1990s that genetic research showed there are five extant species of kiwi – along with an extinct species described in 2021. One thing all kiwi have in common is the need for conservation efforts to ensure their ongoing survival.
New Zealand Threat Classification System showing kiwi
The conservation status of all native species in New Zealand is classified using the NZTCS. This image shows the status of kiwi species as of 2025.
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Kiwinui – North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)
Kiwinui – North Island brown kiwi are our most common kiwi and the only species that still lives in the wild in Te Ika-a-Māui North Island. Their estimated total population is 26,600. North Island brown kiwi are quite resilient and able to adapt to a wide range of habitats – even non-native forests and some farmland.
Kiwinui – North Island brown kiwi chicks
Two North Island brown kiwi chicks in a nest in Whangārei. On the left, you can clearly see the reddish-brown feathers of the adult.
Sourced from iNaturalistNZ.
The birds are widespread in the northern two-thirds of the North Island. Their distribution includes Northland and some of its offshore islands, islands in the Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, parts of Hawke’s Bay, Tongariro, Taranaki and Whanganui. Populations have been established in sanctuaries and other protected areas in the North Island.
The North Island brown kiwi plumage is streaky red-brown and spiky. The female commonly has two consecutive clutches (one egg in each) that are incubated by the male.
Four geographically and genetically distinct forms of this species have been identified:
Northland brown kiwi
Coromandel brown kiwi
Western brown kiwi
Eastern brown kiwi.
Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, North Island brown kiwi are categorised as not threatened. Its steady population decline has been slowed by intensive conservation management
Kiwi pukupuku – little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii)
Kiwi pukupuku – little spotted kiwi are the smallest of the kiwi species. It’s reo Māori name comes from its rotund shape. The estimated population is 2,100 birds.
Kiwi pukupuku
Little spotted kiwi or kiwi pukupuku in forest.
Little spotted kiwi were once widely distributed in the North Island and Te Waipounamu South Island. In 1912, five of the birds were relocated to Kapiti Island, where they flourished. Small populations of translocated birds have been established at 11 other protected sites – predator-free offshore islands and fenced mainland sanctuaries. For nearly 50 years, little spotted kiwi were thought to be extinct on the South Island. In July 2025, several individuals were discovered in the remote Adams Wilderness Area in the West Coast.
Their plumage is pale – light brownish-grey. The feathers are mottled with horizontal bands that resemble spots. The female lays one egg that is incubated by the male. The chicks start to fend for themselves from 5–7 days old.
Little spotted kiwi are listed as threatened – nationally increasing. They have the lowest genetic diversity of the five kiwi species as most of the population is descended from the birds that were introduced to Kapiti Island.
Roroa – great spotted kiwi (Apteryx maxima)
Roroa – great spotted kiwi are the largest of the kiwi species, standing at 45 cm tall. The population is estimated to be around 15,000 birds but it is in decline.
Roroa – great spotted kiwi chick
A roroa – great spotted kiwi chick (Apteryx maxima) in an alpine habitat on the Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park on the West Coast of the South Island.
Sourced from iNaturalistNZ.
Their distribution is in the northern half of the South Island – mostly in remote, sub-alpine mountainous habitats. Roroa have four genetically distinct populations: Northwest Nelson, Westport, Paparoa Range and Arthur’s Pass-Hurunui.
Like the little spotted kiwi, their plumage is pale, mottled, light brownish-grey. Both parents incubate the one egg laid each season – with males on the day shift and both parents sharing the duties at night.
Roroa are listed as threatened – nationally vulnerable. Their very wet, sub-alpine habitats provide some protection from predators.
Rowi – Ōkārito brown kiwi (Apteryx rowi)
Rowi – Ōkārito brown kiwi were first identified as a new species in 1994. It is our rarest species of kiwi, with an estimated population of around 450–600 birds.
Ōkārito brown kiwi chick
Rowi – Ōkārito brown kiwi are endangered. This chick was hatched at the West Coast Wildlife Centre as part of Operation Nest Egg. Chicks are raised in a predator-free environment and returned to the wild when they are large enough to fend for themselves.
There is only one natural population, located in the Ōkārito forest area on the West Coast of the South Island. Rowi also live on predator-free islands in the Marlborough Sounds, and a new population was established in the Omoeroa Range near Fox Glacier in 2018.
Their plumage is brown with streaks of black. Females can lay up to three eggs in a season if an egg fails or if it is removed for conservation purposes. Both male and female birds incubate the eggs, and young birds stay with their family group for 4–5 years.
Rowi are listed as threatened – nationally endangered. Their numbers are increasing largely due to intensive conservation management strategies.
Tokoeka – southern brown kiwi (Apteryx australis)
Tokoeka, whose reo Māori name means ‘weka with a walking stick’, is a reasonably common species of kiwi located along the west coast of the South Island and Rakiura Stewart Island.
Rakiura tokoeka
Rakiura tokoeka is a subspecies of the southern brown kiwi (Apteryx australis). This species is widespread throughout Stewart Island – in the bush and on sand dunes – due to the absence of many predators.
Four distinct geographical forms (subspecies) of tokoeka are recognised:
Haast tokoeka
Northern Fiordland tokoeka
Southern Fiordland tokoeka
Rakiura tokoeka.
Tokoeka are the most numerous kiwi species in Aotearoa – their population is estimated to be around 30,000. Northern and Southern Fiordland tokoeka have a combined population of 15,000 birds, with a similar population on Rakiura. The Haast tokoeka has the smallest population, with only 300–400 birds, and 80% of these under active management.
Haast tokoeka live in the Haast Range and have been translocated to a few island sanctuaries and Orokonui Ecosanctuary. This subspecies is listed as threatened – nationally vulnerable.
Northern Fiordland tokoeka are found in Fiordland. This subspecies is listed as threatened – nationally vulnerable.
Southern Fiordland tokoeka are found in Fiordland and Westland. This subspecies is listed as threatened – nationally endangered.
Rakiura tokoeka are found in Rakiura. They are unusual in that they are active during the day. Also, uniquely amongst kiwi, they live in family groups, with older chicks sometimes helping with egg incubation. This subspecies is listed as at risk – naturally uncommon.
Related content
Find out more about the ongoing conservation efforts to ensure the survival of the various kiwi species.
The Science Learning Hub team has curated an introductory collection of resources to help teach about bird conservation. Log in to make this collection part of your private collection, just click on the copy icon. You can then add additional content and notes and make other changes. Registering an account for the Science Learning Hub is easy and free – sign up with your email address or Google account. Look for the Sign in button at the top of each page.
Want to help your students take action for conservation? Check out this recorded PLD webinar – it’s full of helpful ideas. This is one of four recorded webinars sharing Department of Conservation resources that support hands-on conservation education and inquiry.
A 2014 DNA study of extinct elephant bird specimens held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa has revealed these birds to be the kiwi’s closest relative – previously, it was thought that the kiwi’s closest relatives were the Australian emu and cassowary. In addition, it suggests a new evolutionary pathway for the family of ratites.
Useful links
Get more information on the kiwi on the Department of Conservation website.
Check out our Native birds board on Pinterest for loads of resource ideas on our New Zealand birds.
In July 2025, RNZ reported on the exciting news that little spotted kiwi had been found on New Zealand's mainland for the first time in 50 years.
Find out about 2014 research on why the kiwi and moa are flightless in this article on The Conversation. In 2019, University of Otago researchers in association with colleagues from Harvard University discovered new evidence of what made some of New Zealand’s birds such as the kiwi and extinct moa flightless. See this RNZ news article about this study or the full results here in Science.
A 2016 study suggests that there may be 11 kiwi species. Find out more in this Stuff news article or see the research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Read about the Marton kiwi (Apteryx littoralis), an extinct kiwi species that was discovered in 1998 and described in 2021.
