Kiwi

The bulk of the body can be seen, the head with its enormous beak is to the bottom left. As they are nocturnal it's beyond the capability of the iPad and its operator to do any better.

We saw this at the Kiwi centre near Whangerei. The Rough Guide said it was worth a visit and so it proved. We had seen, well glimpsed, a Kiwi at a centre in Rotorua some years ago but this was much better. Maybe we were lucky but after watching one of the pair scratch about in its enclosure we were treated to both of them in the better lit part having close encounters. This consisted of then prodding each other with their beaks in, I suppose, a form of affection. They were really close to the glass and sometimes the beak met the glass with as sharp crack. Their legs are very powerful and they really sprint when they want to.

The male is 14 and the female 6 years old. The Kiwi egg is huge, not far off an Ostrich in size. Apparently the male does all the nest sitting whilst the female guards their territory. The chicks emerge fully feathered, stay around with the parents for a few weeks then they kick them out.