The Haast tokoeka or Haast kiwi (Apteryx australis 'Haast') is a putative subspecies of the southern brown kiwi. It is one of the rarest kiwi in New Zealand.[1][2] Like other kiwi, this bird is flightless.[3]
| 'Haast' | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Palaeognathae |
| Order: | Apterygiformes |
| Family: | Apterygidae |
| Genus: | Apteryx |
| Species: | A. australis |
| Population: | 'Haast' |
Morphology
editThis bird has red-brown feathers that resemble fur. It is flightless and has small wings and no tail. Its bill is long and narrow.[3]
Habitat and habits
editThe Haast tokoeka lives high in the mountains on the west side of New Zealand's South Island. About half of its habitat is in a protected area, the Haast Kiwi Sanctuary.[1][4]
The adult Haast tokoeka live in pairs. They are territorial and fight other adult kiwis over good hunting and foraging ground. They are primarily nocturnal.[3][5][6]
Taxonomic status
editNot all scientists concur that the Haast tokoeka is a separate subspecies from the Fiordland tokoeka. New Zealand Birds Online refers to the Haast tokoeka as "recognised as being distinct for management purposes" because of its genetic and bodily differences from the Fiordland tokoeka.[3]
Conservation
editThere are about 400 Haast tokoeka alive.[1] Like other kiwi, the Haast tokoeka are threatened by habitat loss and invasive species, such as dogs, cats, and stoats.
In the Haast Kiwi Sanctuary, human beings place traps to catch stoats.[1]
Breeding
editThe kiwi make nests in a hollow logs, cracks in rocks, or space dug out of the ground. The egg is large and pale green in color. The male and female kiwi both incubate the egg.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Tokoeka – literally meaning 'weka with a walking stick' (Ngāi Tahu) - has three geographically and genetically distinct forms: Haast, Fiordland, and Rakiura (Stewart Island)". New Zealand Department of Conservation. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Daniel White; Ana Ramón-Laca; Jacinda Amey; Hugh Robertson (2018). "Novel genetic variation in an isolated population of the nationally critical Haast tokoeka (Apteryx australis 'Haast') reveals extreme short-range structure within this cryptic and flightless bird". Conservation Genetics. 19 (6): 1401–1410. Bibcode:2018ConG...19.1401W. doi:10.1007/s10592-018-1109-0. S2CID 52824376. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Southern Brown Kiwi". New Zealand Birds Online. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ "New kiwi population discovered in New Zealand". Bird Guides. July 10, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ Dominic Couzens (June 18, 2015). Top 100 Birding Sites Of The World. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4729-1985-4. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Bette Flagler (2004). Adventure Guide to New Zealand. Hunter Publishing, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-58843-544-6. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
