Southern striped kiwi

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Southern striped kiwi
Southern Striped Kiwi from Stewart Island

Southern Striped Kiwi from Stewart Island

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Subclass : Great Pine Birds (Palaeognathae)
Order : Apterygiformes
Family : Apterygidae
Genre : Kiwi fruit ( apteryx )
Type : Southern striped kiwi
Scientific name
Apteryx australis
Shaw , 1813

The southern striped kiwi , striped kiwi or Tokoeka ( Apteryx australis ) is a medium-sized kiwi species that is found on Stewart Island , in the Fiordland in the extreme southwest of the South Island of New Zealand and in an isolated population near Haast , a place on the west coast of the South Island. The species was described in 1813 by the English naturalist George Shaw ; the independence of the species was only confirmed in the last 20 years. Its line and that of the Northern Striped Kiwi ( Apteryx mantelli ) and the Okarito Striped Kiwi ( Apteryx rowii ) probably separated from each other about 8.2 million years ago.

Short bristles at the base of the beak in the southern striped kiwi (above) and long in the northern striped kiwi

features

The southern striped kiwi reaches a length of 40 cm, has a stocky body and, like all kiwis, is incapable of flight and has no externally visible wings and no visible tail. The population in Fiordland is dark, gray-brown in color, that on Stewart Island is dark brown and that at Haast is red-brown. The feathers are streaked with reddish brown lengthways. The long, slightly curved bill is ivory in color. The stiff bristles from the base of the beak are short in the southern striped kiwi, but long in the northern striped kiwi, the feathers are soft in the southern striped kiwi, while those of the northern striped kiwi are firm. The southern striped kiwi has 4 to 6 larger scales on the tarsus, the northern striped kiwi 17.

Vocalizations

The loud, high-pitched calls can be heard at night, especially in the first two hours of darkness. The male's whistle is first ascending and then descending, that of the female is shrill and hoarse.

Way of life

Distribution area

The southern striped kiwi occurs in a multitude of different biotopes, from coastal sand dunes, tussock grasslands, forests to subalpine shrub vegetation and feeds on various invertebrates, fruits and leaves. The breeding period of the species is one of the longest among all birds and is 74 to 84 days. The single egg is usually placed in a self-dug earthworks, sometimes in a natural cavity. The chicks hatch fully feathered and leave the nest for the first time after about a week. The southern striped kiwi is long-lived and can live for 30 to 50 years.

Danger

The International Union for Conservation of Nature assesses the southern striped kiwi as endangered (Vulnerable). The total population was estimated at 29,000 animals in 2008, of which 19,900 are adult, sexually mature animals. The species is still fairly widespread on Stewart Island, but it is believed that the population decreased from 20,000 birds in 1995 to 15,000 in 2008. In the northern Fiordland 10,000 striped kiwi are said to live, in the south 4500, while the population at Haast only consists of 300 individuals.

The southern striped kiwi is particularly threatened by imported animals, including the fox kusu ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) and the ermine ( Mustela erminea ), which eat the eggs, ermine and cats also prey on young birds and fox kusu, ferrets ( Mustela putorius furo ) and feral dogs kill young and adult kiwis. Martens are absent on Stewart Island, and dogs are not common, but cats are very common. The rate of loss of natural habitat has decreased significantly and is not currently seen as a major cause of the population decline. One potential threat is the spread of disease from ratites imported into New Zealand. The population at Haast is endangered due to the small size and isolation of the population and suffers from low fertility.

Subspecies

Two subspecies of the southern striped kiwi have been described:

The Northern Striped Kiwi ( Apteryx australis mantelli ), which is occasionally specified as a further subspecies, is now regarded as an independent species, Apteryx mantelli .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Southern Brown Kiwi ( Apteryx australis ) at Avibase
  2. ↑ a b IOC World Bird List version 5.1 5 - Kiwis, Family Apterygidae
  3. ↑ Videos, photos and sound recordings about Brown Kiwi (Apteryx australis) in the Internet Bird Collection

Web links

Commons : Southern Striped Kiwi ( Apteryx australis )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files