One of the 3 kiwis on WAnimals
Birds · Apterygiformes · Apterygidae
Great Spotted Kiwi
Apteryx haastii
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The great spotted kiwi, or roroa, is the largest of the kiwis, a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand with feathers that look like hair, wings reduced to stubs and a long bill with the nostrils at the tip. It is nocturnal and tracks invertebrates on the forest floor by smell, a sense all but redundant in other birds. Introduced stoats and dogs are its main threat.
Weight
1.8 kg – 3.5 kg
Size
45 cm – 50 cm
Life expectancy
40 years
