Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE KIWIS, OR WINGLESS BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND

Genus Kiwis

The Kiwis are referred to a single genus (Apteryx), and to five and by some authorities to six forms. Rothschild, who has had a much greater number of specimens at his disposal than any previous student, recognizes five forms as follows:

The South Island Kiwi (A. australis), known locally as the Roa, which has the plumage rather light colored and the feathers of the neck soft and less bristly to the touch. The male is about twenty-three inches in length and the female twenty-seven inches, while the bill, which is a clear horn-color, is about five inches long.

This species, which is confined to the South Island and adjacent smaller islands, is still quite abundant in suitable locations, but like so many of the native species, it is yearly becoming rarer. A subspecies of this, known as MantelFs Kiwi (^4. a. manlelli), found only on the North Island, has the plumage darker with the neck-feathers bristly and harsh to the touch. In both these forms the feathers of the upper side are striped, whereas in the remaining species the feathers of the upper side are barred. Of these Haast's Kiwi (A. haasti) of South Island is a very large species, the male attaining a length of twenty-five inches and the female about twenty-seven inches.

It is light brown in color, with wide light bars, while Owen's or the Gray Kiwi (A. oweni), and its subspecies, the Larger Gray Kiwi (A. o. occidentalis), have the plumage more grayish, with narrower bright cross-bars; the species is confined to South Island and the subspecies to South Island and the southwestern portions of North Island. The form inhabiting Stewart Island was formerly considered distinct, but proves to be only a large, brightly colored strain of australis.

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