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Story: Kiwi

Stewart Island tokoeka

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Stewart Island tokoeka

The easiest place to observe kiwi in the wild is Stewart Island, where some 20,000 still survive. Tokoeka are slightly larger than North Island brown kiwi, and on Stewart Island they are known to feed on the forest floor and on the beach, where they use their long beaks to probe for sand hoppers among the kelp.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10055860

by Tui De Roy

Courtesy of Roving Tortoise Worldwide Nature Photography

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Kiwi – Kiwi species, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/10163/stewart-island-tokoeka (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 1 March 2009.