White chick the star of New Zealand’s bumper kiwi brood

UNUSUAL: This kiwi may be white, but it is not albino. Picture: Mike Heydon / Jet Productions

Chicks will eventually be released into the wild

June 2011: The most successful kiwi breeding season in the history of New Zealand's national wildlife centre has ended on an extraordinary note with the surprise hatching of a white kiwi chick. 

Hatching at the beginning of last month, the chick was the 13th of 14 kiwis successfully hatched at Pukaha Mount Bruce this breeding season, by far the most successful since 2003 when kiwi were reintroduced into the wild there.

After reaching its required weight and all the expected milestones, including eating on its own, the chick was moved to a predator-proof enclosure in the Pukaha native reserve where 12 other chicks have been raised this season. The 14th chick remains will remain in the kiwi house nursery for another week.

Thought to be the first white kiwi chick hatched in captivity, Manukura will remain in the outdoor enclosure for the next 4-6 months subject to its behaviour and welfare. Two of this season's chicks have already been released into the 940-hectare native forest and the remaining chicks - including Manukuara - will be released over the next few months as they reach the required weight.

Named Manukura, the chick is not an albino but the rare progeny of kiwi that were transferred to Pukaha from Hauturu/Little Barrier Island last year.

‘As far as we know, this is the first all-white chick to be hatched in captivity,' said Pukaha Mount Bruce Board chairman, Bob Francis. ‘The intention of the transfer was to increase the kiwi gene pool at Pukaha and grow the population in the long-term. The kiwi population on Little Barrier Island has birds with white markings and some white kiwi, but this was still a big surprise.'

NEW HOME: Manukura takes its first faltering steps in its predator-proof enclosure. Picture:Mike Heydon / Jet Productions

No white kiwi were brought to Pukaha.
‘This first breeding season involving the Little Barrier kiwi has far exceeded expectations,' Bob said. ‘Faster breeding is exactly what was intended by the transfer, but we were blown away by the number of chicks produced so quickly.'

Compared to this season's 14 chicks, between 2005 and 2010 a total of ten chicks were hatched and returned to the forest.

Rangitane chief executive and Pukaha board member, Jason Kerehi, said tribal elders saw the white chick as a ‘tohu' or ‘sign' of new beginnings. ‘Every now and then something extraordinary comes along to remind you of how special life is. While we're celebrating all 14 kiwi hatched this year, Manukura is a very special gift.'

However, Department of Conservation (DOC) rangers, who manage the kiwi programme at Pukaha, will ensure the best interests of the bird remain a priority.

'This could make it more vulnerable'
‘A white kiwi might really stand out making it more vulnerable,' said DOC area manager Chris Lester. ‘We want to ensure that as many people as possible get a chance to see it, and that we keep it as safe as possible. We also recognise the need to take everything into account when deciding how best to keep Manukura safe.'

Fertile kiwi eggs are retrieved from the 940-hectare native forest and incubated in the kiwi house until they hatch. Two of this season's chicks have already been released into the Pukaha forest and 12 chicks at various stages of growth are being held either in the kiwi house nursery or in a predator-proof outdoor enclosure. They will be released when they weigh approximately one kilogram and are large enough to defend themselves in the forest.