Roroa/Great spotted kiwi

The Paparoa Wildlife Trust works extensively with roroa through Operation Nest Egg (ONE) and regular monitoring of kiwi in the southern Paparoa Range.

Roroa are classified as ‘Nationally vulnerable’ which means they face a high risk of extinction in the medium term. There are currently around 14,000 roroa living in 3 main populations in New Zealand’s South Island. The species is thought to be declining at a rate of 1.6% each year.

Scientific name: Apteryx maxima

Relatives: ratites – ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, moa (extinct)

Average Lifespan: 30–40 years

Habitat: subalpine grasslands or forests of the South Island of New Zealand

Description: pear-shaped body, long slender bill, short strong legs, 3 powerful toes, soft hair-like charcoal grey to light brown feathers mottled with white, no visible wings

Behaviour: flightless, nocturnal, sleeps in a burrow, fiercely territorial

Size: 45cm tall, 2.4kg (male), 50cm tall, 3.3kg (female)

Voice: Male great spotted kiwi have a high trilling whistle repeated between 6 and 20 times and the female's call is lower and harsher. Other birds that can be mistaken for kiwi, especially around dusk, are weka and ruru/moreporks.

Senses: poor eyesight, well-developed sense of smell with nostrils at the tip of their bill

Diet: earthworms, grubs, beetles, cicadas, crickets, flies, spiders, caterpillars, slugs, snails, berries, seeds

Threats: habitat loss, predators including dogs, cats, possums, rats, stoats, and pigs

Reproduction: pairs are monogamous. Females lay 1 egg per year which hatches after 75-85 days. The male incubates the egg during the day but the female shares the incubation during the night relieving the male for a few hours so he can feed. Within ten days of hatching the chick begins to hunt for food unaccompanied outside the burrow. Most chicks are killed by predators in the first six months of their life.

What distinguishes roroa from the other 4 species of kiwi?

The most obvious difference is their feathers. While all 4 other species of kiwi have brown feathers in various shades, the roroa/great spotted kiwi are a dark grey-brown bird whose feathers are beautifully mottled and banded with buff and brown-black, which gives the bird its spotted appearance.

Roroa are also said to be the largest of all kiwi species although some of the Tokoeka species are equally as large if not larger than roroa.