The New Zealand Kiwis Habitat

Kiwi live mainly in native forest, but they are also found in pine forests, sub-alpine tussock, scrub and rough farmland.

This map shows where the different varieties of Kiwi are found. The North Island Brown Kiwi has the widest variety of habitats, while kiwi in the South Island are now confined to a few distinct areas.

The Little Spotted Kiwi, which were once common in the South Island, are now extinct on the mainland but survive on some offshore islands, and in the Kaori Kiwi Reserve, in Wellington.
We don't know much about where Little Spotted Kiwi prefer to live, because there are none left in their native habitat on the mainland. The birds on Kapiti Island occupy all the vegetation types there, which include flax, mixed scrub, forest, and rough grassland.

The Haast Brown is found in the rugged mountains behind Haast,. They spend their summers in the high sub-alpine tussock grasslands, but probably retreat to the lowland forests in the winter. Some have been found living in burrows in the snow.

The North Island Brown is found in native forests, pockets of bush, pine forests, and scrub country.

The Great Spotted is found only in the South Island, predominantly in North West Nelson, Central Westland and Eastern Canterbury, where they live mainly in high, often harsh, hill country. They appear to prefer wet, mossy, sub-alpine vegetation.

The Okarito Brown Kiwi, living in lowland forest just north of Franz Josef in the South Island.

The Southern Tokoeka or Stewart Island Brown lives in the dense undergrowth of Stewart Island and Fiordland, but they have been found high up in the mountains, burrowing into the snow in winter.

A Colour Coded Map Showing Where Different Types Of Kiwis Are Found

KIWI NESTS
Kiwis live in burrows, or sometimes a nest in a hollow tree, under a log, in a rock crack, or within dense undergrowth.

A Burrow With A Kiwi In It

Kiwi are natural burrowers. They often clear a burrow at the end of a night's work, sleep there during the day and then move on to a new burrow the next day. The burrow may be dug in a bank or slope, the Kiwis use their strong legs and claws to loosen the earth and push it out and away from the entrance.
The burrow is usually lined with an untidy nest of soft leaves, grass and moss. When they are inside, the Kiwis often pull leaves and sticks across the entrance to camouflage it and to keep it warm and dry.
Their nesting burrows are dug so long in advance, moss and ferns grow around the entrance, this makes it harder for other animals to find the burrow. On leaving the burrow at night they often mask the opening with deftly placed twigs.

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