Aja Pendergrast, Auckland Zoo
We’ve got great news this #SaveKiwiMonth with the first chick at Auckland Zoo to hatch this breeding season!
We’re proud to be helping conserve kiwi in the wild through the Operation Nest Egg (ONE) programme with the Department of Conservation, Kiwis for Kiwi and other regional conservation partners. This egg from sire Taringama was collected by our friends at Thames Coast Kiwi Care and brings valuable Coromandel genetics to the kiwi breeding population.
Our bird team filmed an event we rarely get to see - a kiwi chick breaking out of it's shell!
Kiwi can take up to three days to hatch once they externally pip (create a hole in the outer shell), building up their strength and using their strong legs to push through. Being nocturnal birds, they usually hatch at night where our bird keepers aren’t there to see it, who get a pleasant surprise come morning. This chick however, decided to make quick work of his entry into the world and our keepers were able to film the result. You can watch the full hatch above.
Our bird team will carefully monitor the growth of this chick and once it’s reached the right weight, it will be sent to a predator-free creche island and hopefully one day have chicks of its own.
We’re caring for three more ONE eggs at present, so we’ll keep you updated on their hatch-dates!
