Roosting Preferences of North Island Brown Kiwis (Apteryx mantelli)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) is a nocturnal endangered species endemic to New Zealand. The protection of suitable habitat is key to the species' recovery; however, little is known about their habitat requirements. We studied the diurnal roosting behaviours of kiwis by intensely tracking 41 radio-tagged, non-breeding adults from May 2010 to February 2012 on Ponui Island, New Zealand. From these birds, we collected 3,997 roosting locations in three different macro-habitat types (scrub, forest, and swamp) and described 223 roosting burrows in the forest macro-habitat. Overall, we discovered that kiwis were roosting generalists; three quarters of the study population was found in more than one macro-habitat and just 5% used only a single type of micro-habitat. However, using compositional analyses, we found that they did show some clear preferences. On a macro-habitat level, kiwis preferred forest habitat over scrub or swamp. Furthermore, on a micro-habitat level, they preferred roo...