Brighter outlook for these kiwi

Two species of kiwi are being touted as global success stories after being moved off an internationally endangered list.

The North Island brown kiwi, pictured below, and the rare rowi (or okarito kiwi) are now classed as vulnerable, rather than endangered, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In 1995 there were just 160 individual rowi, but there are now 450 adults of the species. The rowi, pictured right, is on the Department of Conservation’s list of vulnerable species, one step down from endangered.

The brown kiwi population is considered stable, with managed populations growing more than 2 per cent a year.

Unmanaged populations are still declining and DoC classes the kiwi and Bird. Conservationists started by rescuing eggs from the forest to hatch and fledge safely away from predators, which are the main threat to kiwis. The recovery programme, known as Operation Nest Egg, helped increase juvenile survival rates while pest-control techniques were being developed, according to Forest and Bird chief conservation officer Kevin Hackwell. Hackwell said it was great to have international recognition for the work of the Kiwi Recovery Group. But he warned other kiwi species, like the great spotted and some tokoeka species, were still in serious trouble. The brown kiwi and rowi are not out of the woods — their “vulnerable” status means both are at a high risk of extinction in the wild.