New Year arrivals: Rare kiwi chicks spotted in New Zealand sanctuary

Little spotted kiwi population has doubled in past ten years

January 2011: The new year has got off to a great start for New Zealand's only little spotted kiwi population, with researchers at Zealandia sanctuary in Wellington finding the first two kiwi chicks of 2011.

YOUNG: One of the two newly hatched little spotted kiwi chicks. Picture: Andrew Digby

Both birds hatched on or around New Year's Eve and are already fending for themselves in the predator-free sanctuary, which is home to mainland New Zealand's only wild population of ‘little spots'. In May last year, a survey showed the current population in the sanctuary to be around 100 birds, more than double the number originally released in 2000/2001.

The chicks were found by Victoria University researchers Dr Kristina Ramstad and Andrew Digby, who are studying the species.

‘We've been tracking nine pairs during the breeding season as part of a study into little spotted kiwi reproductive behaviour and nesting success,' said Digby.

‘We tracked males at least once or twice a week to look for signs of nesting, such as repeated use of the same burrow, and camouflaging of the burrow entrance, then used a "burrowscope" to look inside the nest once the adults had left at night to see whether they were incubating eggs.

'We've also been using sound recorders and a video camera to monitor when the males are exiting and entering the nest, since these timings can help confirm incubation and can provide some indication of when hatching is due - the males usually stay on the egg longer closer to hatching.'