New Zealand North Island Brown Kiwi - Threats and Conservation
'Susceptibility'
Susceptibility
The North Island Brown Kiwi is the only kiwi in the wild in the North Island. It is found in native forest and scrub, pine forests and rough farmland. It is nocturnal and flightless and is therefore vulnerable to mammalian predators, especially dogs, ferrets and stoats. This, together with habitat loss, has led to its decline. The controversial chemical 1080 has slowed or reversed the decline in many areas.
Brown kiwi feed by walking slowly along tapping the ground and, when prey is detected, they probe their bill into the leaf litter. An intriguing characteristic is that brown kiwi chicks are never fed by their parents. They first leave the nest to feed when they are approximately 10 days old. This makes them incredibly susceptible to predators. It was this feeling of being alone and vulnerable in the forest at night that I wanted to depict in my painting.
The original of this painting forms part of an installation called 'Silent Skies' - a collaboration between Artists for Conservation and the 27th International Ornithological Congress being held in Vancouver. The installation will tour internationally from August 2018 and limited edition giclee prints are available from Artists for Conservation.
Brown kiwi feed by walking slowly along tapping the ground and, when prey is detected, they probe their bill into the leaf litter. An intriguing characteristic is that brown kiwi chicks are never fed by their parents. They first leave the nest to feed when they are approximately 10 days old. This makes them incredibly susceptible to predators. It was this feeling of being alone and vulnerable in the forest at night that I wanted to depict in my painting.
The original of this painting forms part of an installation called 'Silent Skies' - a collaboration between Artists for Conservation and the 27th International Ornithological Congress being held in Vancouver. The installation will tour internationally from August 2018 and limited edition giclee prints are available from Artists for Conservation.