The smallest of the kiwi species, the kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi), was thought to only live in offshore islands and fenced predator-free sites, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
However, a DOC-contracted hunter spotted the bird in a remote part of the South Island’s West Coast. Tiny feathers were collected from the kiwi to confirm the bird was a kiwi pukupuku.
Kiwi Recovery Group leader Emily King said the discovery was almost miraculous. “The last known sighting of a kiwi pukupuku on the mainland was in 1978. Despite years of targeted searching, we hadn’t found them – until now,” she said.