the Annual Kiwi Call Count
Every year, hundreds of volunteers throughout New Zealand brave the chilly nights of autumn, sit in the dark, and listen for kiwi calls. They must listen for 2 hours each night, for a total of 4 nights during the annual call count. This usually occurs during May or June, depending on when the dark phase of the moon takes place at the peak of the kiwi mating season.
Table of kiwi calls 2001-2009
Here’s a chart showing the mean number of calls observed at each listening station over the past 10 years – you can click on the chart to enlarge it.
Listening stations are assigned and are revisited every year, in order to document differences in the number of calls that are heard from year to year. In the Whangarei Heads, we have about 20 volunteers who brave the cold and the dark, every year. (We could always use more volunteers – if you’ve got good hearing and a bit of patience and don’t mind the cold – this could be just the job for you!) Just contact us at info@backyardkiwi.org for details.
Take a look at the kiwi call sheet below, to see how often they call at different listening stations throughout the Heads.
Kauri Mtn 2008 Listening Chart
If you look closely at the time of each call, you might even see a pattern where a male starts to call – and then a female cuts in! If you’re interested in hearing kiwi – even for one night – you can join us for our annual kiwi listening night or you can contact us to find out when and where someone might be listening for kiwi, near you. Remember, you will have to sit still and be silent in the dark, for a couple of hours – whether or not you hear kiwi.