A rare white kiwi was recently hatched at the Pahuka Mount Bruce National Wildlife Center in New Zealand. Despite the rarity, this is the third white kiwi born at the center!
The chick hatched just prior to Department of Conservation (DOC) staff arriving on Monday in the centre’s kiwi nursery. You can see footage of the newly hatched white kiwi chick being transferred from the incubator to the ‘dryer’ here. This is the same nursery where Manukura, the first white kiwi and Mauriora, our second white kiwi was hatched in December last year.
DOC staff knew that the eggs had come from Manukura’s father, so knew there was a 25% possibility of another white kiwi, but it still came as a surprise.
It is rare enough that two brown kiwi carrying the rare recessive white gene mate in the first place, that they would go on to produce three white kiwi is really something very special.