North Island Brown Kiwi
Apteryx mantelli
A flightless, nocturnal bird of New Zealand’s North Island, living in native forest, scrub, pine plantations, and rough farmland. It spends the night walking the forest floor and probing soft soil with its long bill for worms, insect larvae, spiders, seeds, and fallen fruit. By day it rests in burrows, hollow logs, or dense vegetation, relying on secretive habits and mottled brown plumage to avoid danger. Its nostrils sit near the tip of the bill, an unusual adaptation that helps it smell prey underground.
- Type
- Burrow
- Conservation status
- VU
Growth chain
- ?
- North Island Brown Kiwi