Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Rare white feathered kiwi hatches in Rotorua

Rotorua Daily Post
9 Oct, 2017 07:43 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Bloomers is the first chick with white feathers around its leg to be hatched in Rotorua in almost a decade. Photo/Supplied

A kiwi chick with rare white feathers has hatched at Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter in Rotorua - the first with white feathers around its leg in almost a decade.

Bloomers, aptly named for its white feathers that resemble a pair of knickers half on, hatched at the country's largest kiwi hatching facility on September 29.

It's the first chick to hatch with the genetically rare markings in Rotorua since the 2007/08 season, and hatched on the fringe of October - national Save Kiwi Month.

Bloomers is the first chick with white feathers around its leg to be hatched in Rotorua in almost a decade. Photo/Supplied
Bloomers is the first chick with white feathers around its leg to be hatched in Rotorua in almost a decade. Photo/Supplied

Kiwi Husbandry Manager, Emma Bean said only a handful of the more than 1650 chicks hatched at the encounter to date had such large patches of white feathers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Kiwi are unique in that they hatch from their egg fully feathered, so we knew straight away that Bloomers was a rare little chick.

"We were very excited. It's always amazing to welcome a new chick into the world, but it's extra special to be treated to such rare markings. Bloomers is definitely a unique little bird," she said.


Bloomers will stay at Kiwi Encounter for a couple of weeks before being transferred to Motutapu Island.  Photo/Supplied
Bloomers will stay at Kiwi Encounter for a couple of weeks before being transferred to Motutapu Island. Photo/Supplied

Bloomers' egg arrived with its sibling from Moehau in the Coromandel on September 13. After 11 days in incubation the hatching process began, and a further five days later Bloomers broke free of its egg.

"Bloomers is a perfect chick, a little on the small side but very healthy and alert," Ms Bean said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Bloomers will stay at Kiwi Encounter for a couple of weeks before being transferred to Motutapu Island to grow to a 'stoat-safe weight' of 1kg. The young bird will then join other kiwi chicks from the Coromandel on Motutapu Island to establish a Kohanga Kiwi population.

Bloomers, a kiwi chick with rare white feathers, has hatched at Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter. Photo/Supplied
Bloomers, a kiwi chick with rare white feathers, has hatched at Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter. Photo/Supplied

Kohanga Kiwi are sites where kiwi conservation has been so successful, their surplus birds are used to boost wild kiwi populations elsewhere - in this case, the Coromandel.

Bloomers is the 14th chick to hatch at Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter this season in what the team hopes will be the biggest hatching season yet.

The kiwi hatching season runs from October to April.

Discover more

Environment

1800th kiwi chick born at Rainbow Springs hatchery

19 Oct 02:31 AM

These school holidays, as part of Save Kiwi Month, Rainbow Springs is offering its Kiwi Encounter behind-the-scenes tour free with every standard family day pass.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Rotorua Daily PostUpdated

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Rotorua Daily PostUpdated

Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

10 Jul 10:45 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
'Threat to life': Tasman District upgraded to red warning; floodwater enters homes
New Zealand

'Threat to life': Tasman District upgraded to red warning; floodwater enters homes

10 Jul 11:17 PM
Six Secret Service agents suspended over Trump campaign shooting
World

Six Secret Service agents suspended over Trump campaign shooting

10 Jul 11:16 PM
Ryman sales down, Summerset sales at record levels
Property

Ryman sales down, Summerset sales at record levels

10 Jul 11:14 PM
Police continue search for missing man
Whanganui Chronicle

Police continue search for missing man

10 Jul 11:09 PM
'Incredibly difficult': Body found in search for missing diver
New Zealand

'Incredibly difficult': Body found in search for missing diver

10 Jul 11:08 PM

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM

Amelia Twiss and George Fisher made the journey over 10 days.

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

10 Jul 10:45 PM
'Give Paea a chance': Wife's tearful plea for Tongan overstayer

'Give Paea a chance': Wife's tearful plea for Tongan overstayer

10 Jul 08:02 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search