A Citizen Campaign Returns Iconic Kiwi Birds to New Zealand's Capital After a Century-Long Absence
- On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Wellington residents transported seven kiwi to the city's hills, marking the 250th bird relocated by the Capital Kiwi Project since the initiative began restoring the species to the capital.
- The iconic birds vanished from Wellington over a century ago due to human encroachment and introduced predators. Paul Ward, founder of the Capital Kiwi Project, launched the initiative to restore kiwi populations where residents embrace their new neighbors.
- Efforts involve a 24,000-hectare tract of land protected by over 5,000 traps to stop stoats, the main predator of kiwi chicks. The Wellington population has achieved a 90% chick survival rate.
- Before their release, the seven kiwi visited Parliament, where lawmakers and schoolchildren observed the birds. Ward noted, "They are a part of who we are and our sense of belonging here," highlighting cultural significance.
- This relocation supports New Zealand's national goal to become predator-free by 2050. While only about 70,000 kiwi remain nationwide, citizen-led initiatives like this model a unique approach to reviving the endangered species.
33 Articles
33 Articles
The most emblematic bird in New Zealand, the kiwi, has re-inhabited the Wellington hills after more than a century of absence thanks to an ambitious citizen initiative.The so-called Capital Kiwi Project, driven by neighbors, scientists and indigenous communities, has managed to reintroduce 250 specimens in the vicinity of the capital, in an unprecedented effort to recover local biodiversity.
New Zealand's kiwi bird returns to Wellington hills after a century-long absence
A citizen campaign is returning New Zealand's flightless kiwi bird to the hills around the capital Wellington more than a century after Europeans – and the animals they introduced – decimated their numbers across the country.
A group of volunteers in New Zealand has made history by bringing the endangered kiwi bird, a protected national animal, back to the mountains surrounding Wellington after being missing for over 100 years.
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