The absence of mammal predators for most of that time allowed kiwi to make their homes in many different environments, from snowy tussock lands to sand dune burrows, from mossy forest floors to rough grassland.
 

Kiwi have been described as breeding machines, producing huge eggs with the consistency of battery hens.  Take away the predators, particularly stoats, and kiwi could be successful once again.

This section explains the kiwi life cycle.  We begin with how adult birds set up their territory, and prepare their nesting burrow. The birds mate, the female produces a huge egg and the male incubates it. Once the egg hatches, we look at the new chick’s first few days, and what the young bird faces.