Operation Nest Egg

Operation Nest Egg:
Saving New Zealand’s Kiwi

They have Operation Nest Egg to save New Zealand’s Kiwi because there are many predators that are killing kiwi babies. Their numbers are going less, so they are trying to make the number of kiwi grow again. They do this by taking the eggs out of the burrows and taking them to a place where they put them in a incubator. 100 eggs can go in one incubator.



When one egg starts to hatch they take it out so that it doesn’t disturb the other eggs. It takes a few days for it to hatch. When it hatches it has a yoke sack that they feed off until they can find food for themselves. The yoke sack is in their tummy and the people know if it is going away or not by checking their tummy. If it is still out and big it is still there, if it is in then it is not there. If it is still big they have to give an operation and take it out. When they are feeding on their own they go to a special place where there are no dangers. They stay there until they are big enough to go back into the wild where there are many dangers. Some of the dangers are possums, cats and dogs.

Now I am going to tell you about the things that kiwi have that are different to other birds. Kiwi have thick skin where other birds have skin that is thin as paper. Most of you will know that Kiwi can not fly where most other birds can. Other birds that can’t fly are bigger than the kiwi like ostriches and emus. Kiwi have whiskers where other birds don’t. They have nostrils on their beak and they use them for smelling their prey where other birds use their eyes for getting their prey. Kiwi eat worms, snails, cockroaches and spiders. In captivity they give them fruit, porridge, vegetables, bugs and stones (to crush up their food). Their feathers look like hair instead of feathers. They make burrows instead of nests. When kiwi hatch out of their eggs they have their eyes open and they have feathers. In a few hours the baby can stand. In a few days the baby can start getting its own food.

The kiwi have very very strong legs that they use to kick with and defend themselves from other animals. Their legs are heavy but because they can’t fly they need them to run very fast. They run as fast as humans. Their bones have got marrow inside just like humans and other mammals where birds have air inside their bones. With two kinds of kiwi, the dad sits on the eggs. But with the other three kinds of kiwi, the mom and the dad sits on the egg. The one kiwi is called the “great spotted kiwi” and the other is called the “little spotted kiwi”.