Not down for the count, the scruffy little guy with spots is back from the brink of extinction

The little, spotted kiwi – known locally as kiwi pukupuku – has been discovered in the wild on New Zealand’s South Island for the first time in 50 years!

The iconic kiwi bird – so famous that New Zealanders themselves are known colloquially as “kiwis” – is a flightless bird distinguished by their unusually narrow, pointed, needle-like beak. Kiwis lack the sleek, stiff feathers of flying birds, having settled for life on the ground. Kiwi feathers are hair-like and shaggy, providing camouflage and warmth during cold periods. The kiwi is the only bird in the world with nostrils at the end of its beak. Its stiffest feathers are on its face, which act like the whiskers on a cat.

As the smallest of the flightless kiwi species, their size has made them extremely vulnerable to New Zealand’s introduced predators: stoats, ermines, feral cats, rats, weasels, and possums.

The kiwi pukupuku was once thought to be extinct in the wild on mainland New Zealand and was relegated to islands and protected sanctuaries. However, about 2,000 of this species of kiwi remain, with a cautiously growing population thanks to intensive conservation efforts by governments, groups, and wildlife enthusiasts.

Kiwis belong to a family of flightless birds called ratites. Their closest relatives are the now-extinct elephant birds of Madagascar. Their living relatives include emus and cassowaries, native to Australia.

Kiwis are born fully feathered, leaving the nests they were hatched in to feed themselves at five days old. Kiwis are not fed by their parents. They take about three to five years to reach adulthood and, barring modern threats, can live between 25 and 50 years.

The first found was a female little spotted kiwi after a tahr hunter reported hearing an unfamiliar kiwi call. Department of Conservation dog, named Brew, followed the scent to a female. Later, a male was found in the rugged Adams Wilderness Area. The pair has been safely captured and relocated in order to ensure their protection.

Because they are a beloved symbol of the nation, New Zealanders actively participate in kiwi conservation through daily actions, such as training kiwi-avoidance dogs, keeping pets on leashes, reporting injured kiwi, and driving slowly in areas with kiwi road signs.

The scruffy little spotted kiwi is back from the brink of extinction. We could learn from kiwi pukupuku. There’s a time to display your feathers and there’s a time to blend in. When knocked down, and the experts are saying, according to their analysis, you are down for the count, get back up. Don’t fret about the knocks (or expect handouts from your parents); keep your bill down, nose to the ground, and focus on taking the next steps to survive and thrive. Lend a hand to those less fortunate, never mind the spots, for we are all in this together, whether you have feathers, whiskers, or both.