Other Wildlife

The Kiwi Link project area is a patchwork mosaic of native and exotic forests, farmland, wetlands, estuaries, and sandy coastlines criss-crossed by a network of small streams. The mosaic contains numerous significant ecological sites that are home to a range of rare and threatened native species. 

One of Kiwi Link’s aims is to revitalise habitats so native wildlife populations can flourish once more.

To track progress towards this goal, targeted Five Minute Native Bird Counts are carried out annually.

Eight key native bird species are monitored: tui, kingfisher/kotare, waxeye/ riroriro, kukupa, tomtit/miromiro, fantail/piwakawaka, kākā and bellbird/korimako. The latest data indicates that these bird species are indeed increasing across the Kiwi Link. 

North Island Kākā, which are rare in Northland, are increasingly observed through the Taraunui, Kohinui, Owhiwa and Mt Tiger areas. Excitingly, a flock of four kakariki – rarely spotted on the New Zealand mainland – were also observed and photographed in the 2023 winter in the Owhiwa area.