Kiwi birds are roaming further during the summer months in search of food

Thursday, 14 February 2019

Kiwi birds battling the heat this summer are having difficulty probing for food - the ground's too hard.

It means that in some parts of New Zealand, the country's national icon is searching for food during the daytime, increasing their chances of being spotted.

Department of Conservation biodiversity supervisor Megan Topia said dry conditions throughout Northland meant increased reports from tourists of seeing kiwi during the day at Trounson Kauri Park, 30 minutes north of Dargaville.

'It is important that people exercise good dog control day and night to avoid dogs coming in to contact with kiwi.'

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Chicks in particular would be more vulnerable to predators, especially mustelids and cats, if they were active during the day.

Kiwi are searching for food during the daytime because the heat has made the ground too hard to forage for food.

Topia said when kiwi were burrowing during the day, people would usually walk right past without seeing them.

'If kiwi are spending a longer time feeding during the night and also foraging during the day then it increases the chances of people being able to spot a kiwi.'

Watering of the land would need to be done over the entire habitat to benefit more than one or two kiwi, she said.

Adult kiwi set up territories that overlap with their mate's, and generally do not tolerate the presence of other adult kiwi, Topia said.

'This means that kiwi do not congregate to certain areas to feed, and therefore manual watering would not be practical.'

The bills of kiwi chicks are softer than those of adults and dry conditions are especially hard on the young.

The Department of Conservation's advice to the public is to observe the kiwi from a distance, and to not pick them up unless they're obviously unwell.

DOC senior ranger Adrian Walker, who is based in the Bay of Islands office, said farmers and lifestyle landowners in high density kiwi zones may encounter kiwi during the day.

Landowners could help by knowing what their dog was doing at all times, Walker said.

'If they have the luxury of watering their gardens, this will help kiwi forage.'