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The Stewart Island Brown Kiwi

Stewart Island Brown Kiwi

Apteryx Australis Lawyri

Tokoeka - Weka with a stick

 

The Stewart Island Brown Kiwi or Apteryx australis lawyri s the largest of the Brown Kiwis and is unique in that it is often seen in the daytime. Why is that? Well this is the only species of Kiwi where the female helps out in the incubation of the eggs so the male goes foraging during the day. They are faithful to each other for life.

The Maori name for the Stewart Island Kiwi is Tokoeka which translates as "weka with a stick". This derives from the appearance of the long stick-like bill when the bird is walking and probing the earth. Mason Bay has the highest density of Kiwi's in New Zealand and a unique opporunity to see a Kiwi in the wild.

One unusual behaviour of the Stewart Island Toekoeka is that they group themselves into extended families, often seeming to include a range of generations. Half a dozen or more may occupy a single burrow or shelter. They also forage as a griup. At any approach the lead male sounds the ear-piercing alarm and all the others scatter to cover, leaving him to defend the territory against the intruder.