🐦 Get to Know the Little Spotted Kiwi

Before they arrive in Nelson, here’s what makes kiwi pukupuku so special.

They might be the smallest of Aotearoa’s five kiwi species, but kiwi pukupuku are anything but timid.

These flightless, nocturnal birds spend their days tucked away in cosy burrows, hollow logs, or hidden beneath dense bush — but once night falls, they’re on the move.

🗣️ They’re surprisingly vocal, too. Males call out with a high-pitched rising whistle, while females respond with a slower, lower trill. Both will often repeat their calls 25–35 times in a row, duetting to stay in touch.

🪶 They’re also fiercely territorial. Clashes with neighbours can get dramatic — with sharp claws and flurries of feathers left behind!

🍽️ What’s on the menu?
Earthworms, beetle larvae, cicada grubs, moths, spiders, and the occasional fallen fruit or leaf.

👀 How do you spot one?
They’re small and pale, with light brown-grey feathers finely banded with white, a long pale bill, and short pale legs and toes.

🆚 Lookalike alert: Juvenile great spotted kiwi can look similar but are darker overall, with dark legs and toes.

And here’s a sweet fact: only the male incubates the egg — one or two large white eggs, laid between July and January.

This May, 40 kiwi pukupuku will return to the South Island for the first time in nearly 100 years — settling into their new home at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.

Let’s give them the welcome they deserve 💚

Credit @savethekiwinz for the photo

#GetToKnowKiwi #KiwiPukupuku #BringingKiwiHome #BrookSanctuary #LittleSpottedKiwi #KiwiComeback #ConservationNZ #KiwiComeback #NelsonNZ #SaveTheKiwi #TeamKiwiNelson

🥝 Where do kiwi pukupuku live?

And why is their return to Nelson so special?

Kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) are New Zealand’s smallest kiwi — with different subspecies once spread across both the North and South Islands, from forest and scrublands to coastal bush.
By the late 1800s, they had virtually disappeared from the North Island.

In the South, they were still common in places like Nelson, Westland, and Fiordland into the early 1900s — but then predators took their toll.

In 1912, five South Island birds were moved from the Jackson Bay area to Kāpiti Island, where they flourished — becoming the source population for all living kiwi pukupuku today.

Since 1983, they’ve been translocated to a handful of offshore islands and fenced mainland sanctuaries — but until now, never back to the South Island mainland.

This May, 40 kiwi pukupuku will be translocated to Brook Waimārama Sanctuary — the first time they are returned to the South Island mainland.

The sanctuary provides intact, old growth native forest, where they can forage for insects in leaf litter and rotten logs, and nest in burrows, hollow logs, or under dense vegetation.

With nearly 700 hectares of pest-free habitat, the Brook offers the conditions they need to survive and thrive — safely.

A return to their natural habitat.
A homecoming to Te Waipounamu / South Island.
And it’s happening here in Nelson. 💚

#KiwiComeback #BringingKiwiHome #BrookSanctuary #KiwiPukupuku #ConservationNZ #NelsonNZ #SaveTheKiwi #TeamKiwiNelson

🐦 BE PART OF A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME KIWI CONSERVATION EVENT! 🐦

For the first time in nearly 100 years, little spotted kiwi are returning to the South Island – and YOU could be part of this historic moment! 🌿💚

(Ages 8-18 only)

The Prize: 🎉 ✨ Be one of the lucky few to release a kiwi into its new home at Brook Waimarama Sanctuary!
✨ PLUS A free Brook Sanctuary t-shirt & a cuddly kiwi plush toy!

How to Enter:

✅ Click the link in our bio to submit your entry form – it`s quick and easy!
✅ (Optional) Follow @BrookSanctuary on Instagram
✅ (Optional) Post on your feed or story, tag @BrookSanctuary & use #BrookKiwiComp to spread the word!

📅 Hurry! Entries close on 30th April 2025! Winners will be announced on 1st May 2025.

Posters with QR codes around Nelson will also take you to the entry form – keep an eye out! 👀📍

Don’t miss this chance to be part of conservation history! Tag your friends and help us welcome kiwi back to the mainland! 🌏🐤

#BrookKiwiComp

#KiwiComeback #BringingKiwiHome #BrookSanctuary #KiwiPukupuku #ConservationNZ #NelsonNZ #SaveTheKiwi #TeamKiwiNelson

What Are Little Spotted Kiwi — and Why Does It Matter That They`re Coming Home?

Kiwi pukupuku | Apteryx owenii

Nearly 100 years after disappearing from the region, little spotted kiwi — or kiwi pukupuku — are coming home to Nelson. 🐦💚

But what exactly makes these birds so special?

Kiwi pukupuku are the smallest of New Zealand’s five surviving kiwi species, and they’re found nowhere else in the world. Though once widespread across the South Island, including here in Nelson, kiwi pukupuku went locally extinct by the 1930s due to predators like stoats and dogs.

For decades, it was thought they were completely gone from the mainland — until DNA from specimens held in Te Papa confirmed they had survived on the West Coast until at least 1978. One of those birds was found right here in the Tasman District.

All of today’s kiwi pukupuku are descended from just a few individuals moved to Kāpiti Island in the early 1900s. It’s from this protected population that 40 birds are now being carefully translocated to Brook Waimārama Sanctuary — marking the first return of the species to the South Island in nearly a century.
With a global population of fewer than 1,900 birds, and over 1,200 of those still on Kāpiti Island, this return is not just historic — it’s vital for the future of the species.

#KiwiComeback #BringingKiwiHome #BrookSanctuary #KiwiPukupuku #ConservationNZ #NelsonNZ #SaveTheKiwi #TeamKiwiNelson