Little Spotted Kiwi

30 cm; male 1150 g, female 1325 g. Smallest kiwi. Brownish grey finely mottled or banded horizontally with white; long ivory bill; pale legs and claws. Male high-pitched ascending whistle; female lower and more tremulous; call rate faster and higher pitched than other kiwi, especially the female. Habitat: Native forest, scrub and grassland on a few offshore islands: c. 1,000 on Kapiti Island, small populations have been established on Hen, Tiritiri Matangi, Red Mercury and Long (Marlborough) Islands. Some may persist in Westland or Fiordland. Breeding: Sep-Feb.