Home range sharing in family units of great spotted kiwi (Apteryx haastii) at Nelson Lakes National Park

Home range size and overlap in adult (> 4.5 years) and subadult (< 4.5 years) great spotted kiwi (Apteryx haastii) was investigated using telemetry at the Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project, Nelson Lakes National Park, in 2012. The population had been introduced between 2004 and 2006. The mean home range size of adults was 34.4 ha (+/- 9.4 SEM) and 17.4 ha (+/- 5.7 SEM) for subadults. Overlap between subadult and adult home ranges ranged from 78-99% and subadults were located roosting within 50 m of a parent on at least 50% of observations. Several subadults, aged more than 4 years, have also been located sharing burrows with adults. These observations suggest great spotted kiwi are similar to southern tokoeka (A. australis) in that they have substantially more parental association with their offspring than the better known North Island brown kiwi (A. mantelli).