Kiwis calling
Published on 9 June, 2025
ABOVE: Photo by Rachel Holmes, Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel.
Every year on the Coromandel dedicated locals head out into the winter darkness to sit quietly and wait. What are they waiting for? The call of the kiwi.
The Kiwi Call Survey is an important part of kiwi conservation efforts. Because kiwi are nocturnal and elusive, the simplest way of assessing their numbers is to listen for their calls.
Male and female kiwi have distinctly different calls, which can be confused with other nocturnal birds, like ruru (morepork), so listening teams get trained to correctly identify kiwi.
Some are lucky enough to hear male and female kiwi calling back on forth, a sure sign of successful conservation efforts.
The survey results over several years have shown the effectiveness of Coromandel conservation groups’ efforts to protect kiwi, with the number of calls recorded steadily increasing.
Sasha Dowling, Project Manager at Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel, says that assessing the health of the kiwi population is critical to protecting kiwi.
“When we understand how much of a difference we are making, we can direct our efforts to the right areas,” she says.
Sasha believes the volunteers also get a real boost from hearing kiwi numbers increase each year.
“It’s a magical sound and a reward for the thousands of volunteer hours that go into protecting kiwi across the Coromandel.”
Kiwi are threatened by many predators and loss of habitat, so it takes constant effort to protect them.
You can support kiwi conservation by donating to the Fund for Nature Hauraki Coromandel via momentumwaikato.nz/fundfornaturehaurakicoromandel.
