Apteryx rowi
The Okarito Kiwi, or Rowi (*Apteryx rowi*), is a distinctive and critically endangered flightless bird endemic to New Zealand's South Island. Measuring 40-50 cm (16-20 in) in length and weighing 1.6-3.1 kg (3.5-6.8 lb), females are typically larger than males. Its plumage is a unique shaggy, streaky grey-brown, resembling coarse hair more than feathers, providing excellent camouflage in its forest habitat. A prominent field mark is its long, pale ivory bill, with nostrils located uniquely at ...
Found exclusively in dense podocarp-hardwood forests, typically from coastal areas up to around 1000 meters elevation, characterized by thick undergrowth and abundant leaf litter.
Primarily insectivorous, consuming earthworms, beetle larvae, wētā, spiders, and other forest invertebrates, supplemented with some fallen fruits and berries, all detected by smell and extracted with their specialized bill.
Rowi are strictly nocturnal, emerging at dusk to forage and returning to sleep in burrows, hollow logs, or under dense vegetation during the day. They employ a unique foraging strategy, probing the forest floor with their long, sensitive bills, utilizing their keen sense of smell to detect invert...
The Okarito Kiwi has an extremely restricted geographic distribution, confined almost exclusively to the Okarito Forest on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, a small area of approximately 12,000 hectares. This small, isolated population represents its last remaining natural stronghold....
Critically Endangered
- The Okarito Kiwi lays the largest egg relative to its body size of any bird in the world, with the egg making up about 20% of the female's weight. - Unlike most birds, its nostrils are located at the very tip of its long bill, giving it an exceptional sense of smell for foraging in the dark. - ...