The photo above shows one of their favourite foods - worms.  This one is more than 500 millimetres long.

Because kiwi live in very diverse habitats, from mountain slopes to exotic pine forests, it is difficult to define a typical kiwi diet, even for the same species.

Most of kiwi's food is invertebrates - insects.  New Zealand has 178 native worm species and 14 exotic kinds for the kiwi to choose from.

Besides worms, kiwi like to feast on beetle larvae, cicada nymphs, beetles, crickets, fly larvae, weta, spiders, caterpillars, slaters, slugs and snails.

Kiwi also eat berries, seeds, and some leaves. Species include totara, hinau, miro, gahnia and various coprosma and hebe.

Some Unusual Foods

In some parts of the country, kiwi have access to more unusual foods. In Waitangi State Forest, the Brown Kiwi  occasionally eats bracket fungi and frogs. They also eat the native black cockroach, kekerengu. While this insect smells objectionable to a human nose, the kiwi may use the strong odour to locate its prey.

Another unusual food is the freshwater crayfish (koura), which are captured and eaten when floods force them onto the stream banks. However, kiwi may also fish for these morsels - we know they can wade (or even swim) across streams and small rivers. In captivity, kiwi have fished eels out of a pond, subdued them with a few whacks, and eaten them.

Kiwi gizzards generally contain grit and small stones, to help in the digestion process. A kiwi does not need to drink often, as worms and beetle larvae are 85 per cent water, but when it does, the bird immerses its beak, tips back its head and gurgles down the water.

Night-time Feeder

Equipped with their fabulous nose and nostrils, kiwi are able to forage at night. The only exception is the Southern Tokoeka on Stewart Island, where some birds feed during the day. It is likely these are mostly breeding females who have been on nests most of the night.

The diet of the kiwi is closely related to its breeding success, as the birds need to build up large reserves to get through the breeding season.

Creating a Healthy Diet for Captive Kiwi

Massey University in Palmerston North is developing a near natural diet for birds being raised in captivity, including Operation Nest Egg chicks.   Find out more about Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi Trust funded project here.