North Island brown kiwi nest in burrows and lay two or more clutches of two eggs each year. Kiwi eggs take a long time to hatch – the male incubates the egg for 70 to 90 days, and then it takes about four days for the chick to break out of its shell.

The chick leaves the nest at two weeks old, but it can take up to a year for the small kiwi to grow big and strong enough to defend itself against introduced predators but they are still vulnerable to dogs and ferrets.

Ninety-five per cent of chicks will be killed by predators during the first few weeks of their lives.

Of myth and legend

According to Maori legend, the kiwi once lived in the treetops and had beautiful colourful wings. One day, Tane, god of the forest, asked his children if one of them would live on the forest floor to help save the bush from certain destruction. The kiwi was the only child willing to sacrifice life in the treetops for a nocturnal life on the damp bush floor. For its sacrifice, the kiwi would become the most loved of Tane’s children.