… the Kiwi!
A learned day, at the Kiwi National Hatchery. I’ve been looking for the Kiwi for two weeks now and today I realized the reasons why I haven’t seen them. They are nocturnal and sleep for 16 hours. Without the hatchery these birds may be extinct today. In the wild only 50 % of eggs survive and only 5% of chicks reach adulthood because of introduced (predators) species in the past couple of hundreds years.
Scientists go out into the woods and collect eggs and bring them to the hatchery where 97% of all eggs hatch and survive. When the chicks weigh 1 kg they are released into the forests and then live for 20 years on average. A few live up to 50 years of age.
I had the pleasure of seeing three kiwis in their artificial habitats today (no cameras allowed). During my visit two eggs arrived to the hatchery.
Scientifically, the beak starts at the nostrils. A Kiwis’ nostrils are located very close to the tip of the beak. Therefore it’s the shortest beaks in the world!!!
Sailaway Sarantium 