Tarapeke: Our Kiwi

I had recently received an update about the kiwi bird my group from New Zealand had adopted. Tarapeke was born in April '10 at Rainbow Springs Kiwi Encounter and we got to visit her back in August. Tarapeke means in Maori – “Ants in Pants” because she was a very ancy and wiggly chick.

These nocturnal creatures are very unique because although it is a bird it has more characteristics of a mammal.

-It has tiny wings, almost like nubs, but cannot fly

-It has feathers that are more like fur

-It is the only bird in the world with nostrils at the end of its beak

-Its sense of smell is second to none

-It has no tail feathers, but does have whiskers, like a cat

-It has marrow in its bones, just like a human

-Very unusually, females have two ovaries, most birds have only one.
Kiwi's are the national bird of New Zealand and are endangered because they are such helpless animals that are easy targets to their predators. However, since the formation of conservation habitats such as Rainbow Springs, the number of kiwi birds have been increasing due to their incredible works.

A little bit of history of Tarapeke is that after birth, she stayed in an incubator for two days before moved to a brooder (an artifical habitat).  In the brooder she had the chance to stretch her legs and probe around in soil while she learned to eat the artificial diet.  Since the kiwi chicks hatch with such a large belly full of yolk, they feed off this for about a week before they need to start foraging for themselves.  Kiwi’s don’t need to be taught to probe for food in the ground by their parents as all of their behavior is instinctive, but usually are in need of some guidance to learn to eat the artificial diet! Tarapeke has been a pretty good chick thoughout her time being raised as she learned to eat the food relatively quickly.  She was in good condition at the regular five day health check.  Tara has been active in the brooder and is walking/standing well. It has been decided that she is ready to be released out in her natural habitat of the New Zealand bush where she can live the normal life of a kiwi.

Tarapeke

 Rainbow Springs Kiwi Encounter

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